


Beta Test

by Yoyos_on_the_wharf



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Additional Warnings in Author's Notes as needed, Depictions of crime scenes/abusive situations and outcomes/body horror, Don't copy to another site, Dumpster Fire Ship, Exploration of Deviancy, F/M, Flashback dub/non-con because of android programming, Gavin and RK900 might be too, M/M, North and Connor are kinda aroused by roughing each other up, OCs based on people I've met in my life, Police Partners, Snark, Team Up, Very opinionated cats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2020-10-24 18:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20710460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoyos_on_the_wharf/pseuds/Yoyos_on_the_wharf
Summary: Gavin blinks stupidly as the second coming of ‘Connor, the android sent by Cyberlife’ regards him with what might be a sneer of derision. The second Connor is dressed in a more schnazzed-up CyberLife jacket and a black turtleneck that makes him look like a total fucking tool. But it's the eyes that catch Gavin off guard. Gone is the deep, warm brown of Connor’s puppy eyes only to be replaced with flinty grey.Finally, Gavin finds his voice, “The fuck is this? Bring your clone to work day?”{In which human dick must learn to work with plastic prick.}





	1. >>Begin Sequence 1<<

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pifflingpaka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pifflingpaka/gifts), [thursdayknight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursdayknight/gifts).

>>Begin Sequence 1<<

“The Android Inclusion Act (AIA) has been enacted today as an executive order by President Warren, granting inalienable rights to Androids until the Summit meeting in January to ratify AIA into U.S. Constitution, along with making any amendments accrued in the intervening months…”

-from _ Century _magazine, November 15th, 2038

“... the Detroit Police Department is spearheading the AIA clause of ‘increased diversity in the workplace to include Androids’. This is almost certainly in part of the former Deviant-Hunter-turned-Deviant, RK800 model commonly known as “Connor”. During a crucial moment in the Android Revolution, Connor broke through his programing and subsequently liberated thousands of Androids from the assembly plant at CyberLife Tower. This turned the tide in the Deviant Leader, Markus’ favor and put pressure on the remaining human forces actively fighting against them. In a moment that was heartbreakingly human, Markus stepped in front of a firing squad and sang with a voice that can only be described as _ soulful _....”

-from _ Detroit Today _, November 15th, 2038

* * *

< Monday, November 15th, 2038 11:35pm>

The pulsing lights of the club were glinting off of Gavin’s dark whiskey, giving it the look of an oil spill. His magazine’s update ping must have been drowned out by the persistent early 90’s alt rock/pop music because it suddenly lit up with a dull blue light.

**From Chloe to Connor: Enigmatic Elijah Kamski comes out of hiding to discuss the Turing Test, AIA, Deviancy, and much more!**

Gavin glares down at the split picture of Chloe and Connor staring out at him from his Tech Addict magazine. He pushes it away in disgust, cradling his whiskey closer to his body. 

_ Fucking magazine’s already out of date _ , he thinks bitterly, taking a burning sip from his glass, _ Connor ain’t the newest Barbie on the block no more… _

_ [“Hello, my name is Carter. The android not sent by Cyberlife.”] _

Gavin shakes his head, slumping further down into the booth. The table is jolted by a sudden presence and Gavin looks up to see Tina Chen smiling broadly at him. Her hair is soaked with sweat from dancing and her eyes are lit up playfully. When she takes in his dour appearance her lips purse.

“Reed,” she starts, her voice pitched high to carry over the music, “I brought you out here so you could loosen up! After the day you had… I thought getting out would help,” she frowned at him, “Clearly all you want to do is wallow.”

Gavin sneered at her, unconsciously rubbing the scar on his nose, “Oh yes, I’m so indebted to you for bringing me to a fucking android-human club off of red ice row, thanks so fucking much.”

Tina doesn’t seem to take offense, rolling her eyes at him, “I know you’re pissed about Carter-”

“Jesus, don’t call it that-”

“That’s _ his _name, Reed,” Tina’s frown gets deeper, “I know you have some deep anti-android bullshit-”

“Fuck you.”

“_ But _ ,” she continues undeterred, “you need to get with the times, Reed,” she smiles finally, leaning over the table to whisper in his ear, “ _ Plastic pricks _ are in.”

“Ugh!” Gavin shoves her away from him, “Fucking gross, we can’t all have such low standards as you can, Chen.”

She smirks, “I’m surprised you have standards anymore, we all know human men are done with you. How long has it been?” she taps a finger to her lips before narrowing her eyes at him, “Five months? Maybe a little deviant dick might be good for you.”

Gavin closes his eyes, willing down the sick feeling in his stomach. “Just shut up and go dance with your Ken dolls, okay?”

Even with his eyes closed, Gavin knows the exact looks she’s giving him- worry mixed with pity and just a splash of annoyance. He doesn't want to see it. He doesn’t need her pity. He just wants the world to rewind back a few days.

_ Or a few decades _, his brain supplies unhelpfully. 

When he opens his eyes again Tina is gone, lost in the undulating crowd of dancers. And Gavin chokes down the rest of his whisky, wishing he was home with his cats.

* * *

< Monday, November 15th, 2038 06:50 am>

Mornings piss Gavin off in general. Mornings that begin with Fowler shouting at him from his blackout office to ‘hurry and get his ass in there’ piss Gavin off even more. 

He knows the world has spun off its axis since the revolution a few days ago and the DPD has been inundated with phone calls for all sorts of crimes from human and androids alike. Fowler had even called in extra cops from Grand Rapids and Warren to help manage the number of cases coming in. 

That FBI twat Perkins was still lurking around- either at the DPD or at CyberLife Tower- the so-called ‘hub’ of android life in the city- as a mediator of sorts. All that has done is make his ego inflate more and he struts around the bullpen like a fucking peacock. Like he wasn’t on the front lines, mowing down deviant androids or having his men round them up in camps four days ago.

Not that Gavin gives a shit about the androids, Perkins just annoys the fuck out of him. His voice sounds like a fly in his ear and his self-important attitude is worse. Classic fucking narcissistic personality with a power complex. 

Gavin gives Fowler a ingenuine salute before he heads to the breakroom for coffee, his whole body humming with tension. He’s honestly been waiting for Fowler to call him out, to bite his dick off about playing nice with the plastic pricks. After Connor pissed him off with that bromance line outside the evidence room he’s had a somewhat grudging respect for him that can only be born out of mutual distaste. He still hates the way the android follows Anderson around like a fucking puppy, always easy with the smiles or a joke. 

More than that, Gavin has found the way Hank regards Connor even more stomach churning. Hank _ dotes _ on Connor, even if it’s in that gruff way of his. Like… like Connor’s his kid or something. It’s not romantic like some of the other cops like to think. Lord knows why they enjoy the mental image of old man Anderson being bent over by Connor but any detective worth their badge can see Hank feels paternally towards the fucking machine. Maybe it’s because he lost Cole a long time ago, but Gavin learned the hard way that androids aren’t a replacement for human relationships.

Whatever the fuck Fowler wants to talk about can wait till he’s had his first cup of coffee. Gavin is an asshole, he knows this, embraces it even but he also knows he’s on thin ice because of his very vocal views on androids. If he wants a chance of keeping his job after Fowler brings him to heel, he needs caffeine to make sure he has a chance of not running his mouth.

As he empties his sugar into his coffee, trying the mask the burnt taste he notices that Anderson and his lapdog are nowhere to be seen. This immediately raises Gavin’s hackles higher. Ever since they were paired together Connor had been forcing Hank to work by 07:00 sharp. Hank would shuffle in, full of loathing and Connor would have a jaunty ‘Good morning, Detective’ on his lips for Gavin despite the fact that Gavin never replied. As much as he can barely tolerate Connor and Anderson, their lack of appearance concerns him. In reference to what it means for him. 

Taking a deep gulp of coffee, Gavin crushes the styrofoam cup in his hand before dropping it into the wastebasket. As he walks towards Fowler’s office he’s aware of the many eyes on him and turns to give the other cops a patented Reed ‘the fuck you looking at’ face. They immediately turned their eyes down, avoiding his gaze. A cold shiver surges through Gavin but he straightens his back and walks into Fowler’s office. And stops dead on the threshold. 

Captain Fowler is sat behind his desk, expression grim while next to him stands Hank Anderson, a smug smile on his face. Seated close together are Connor, who looks up at Gavin’s arrival- “Good morning, Detective!”- and...Connor?

Gavin blinks stupidly as the second coming of ‘Connor, the android sent by Cyberlife’ regards him with what might be a sneer of derision. The second Connor is dressed in a more schnazzed-up CyberLife jacket and a black turtleneck that makes him look like a total fucking tool. But it's the eyes that catch Gavin off guard. Gone is the deep, warm brown of Connor’s puppy eyes only to be replaced with flinty grey. 

Finally, Gavin finds his voice, “The fuck is this? Bring your clone to work day?”

Fowler scowls, looking like Gavin merely ticked off a box on his mental checklist. “Detective Reed, this is RK900, Connor’s would-be successor.”

Connor nods at the RK900 model who gets up from his chair, his movements lithe and graceful. He extends a hand to Gavin, smirking deviously, “Hello, my name is Carter, the android _ not _ sent by CyberLife.”

Gavin reels back as if he’d been slapped, his glare moving from the android’s outstretched hand to its rapidly baleful grey eyes. Its LED light changes from a cool cobalt to swirling yellow, as though it was taking measure of him. Gavin is caught off guard by the thought that such a resentful expression shouldn’t suit Connor’s face as well as it does. 

“Don’t be a dick, Reed,” Hank sighed from beside Fowler. “They’re just like us now.”

Gavin sneers at Anderson, his voice clipped, “Barely. AIA only went through this morning.” 

Gavin feels anger spark in him as Fowler and Anderson have the gall to look surprised. Just because he doesn’t like androids doesn’t mean he’s out of touch with the world. That’s a dangerous thing for a cops to do. His eyes dart back to the android who has retracted its offered hand and is regarding Gavin with cool contemplation. The android crosses its arms,tilts its chin up, offering Gavin a subtle smirk, LED still spinning yellow.

Lieutenant Anderson rolls his eyes before saying, “Funny you bring that up, actually.”

That cold feeling from before settles in Gavin’s stomach and he suddenly wishes he hadn’t downed his coffee so quickly. “As much as I’d like to sit around and play Barbie Dreamhouse with you-.”

“Quiet,” Fowler orders gruffly. Gavin’s mouth snaps shut and he glares to the side. Fowler appraises Gavin for a moment, as though waiting to give another reprimand but when the detective stays firmly silent he nods, “The Detroit Police Department is going to be one of the many branches of the workforce spearheading the components of AIA. More specifically, the increase of androids in the workplace. As such, Connor has asked us to take on Carter on a trial basis to see if he’d be a good fit for the department.”

Gavin cuts his eyes to the android in question. Its LED is whirling yellow and if the slight uptick of his mouth is any indication the plastic prick is laughing at him. “So they are going to take our jobs,” Gavin sneers.

RK900 rolls its eyes, looking bored, “We already made up over 63% of your skilled medical technicians,” Gavin notices Connor’s minute frown, “and 80% of your higher learning professors are already androids. Now, we will just be paid a,” the RK900 smirks, looking down at its nails before meeting Gavin’s eyes, “_ living _ wage for the work we already do.”

Gavin lets out a bitter laugh, “You think you can replace human ingenuity with core processors?”

RK900 places a hand on its chest, taking a step closer to Gavin, “We were _ made _ with human ingenuity, I doubt the same can be said for _ you _, Detective Reed.”

Grey eyes clash like lightning as Gavin takes an answering step closer to the android. 

“Enough!” Captain Fowler bellows, running a hand down his tired face, “Reed, sit the fuck down.”

Still holding the android’s steely gaze, Gavin takes a seat and twitches as the RK900 smiles in triumph. “The DPD is already under an immense amount of pressure and incredible outnumbered as it is. Not only do I have the public to answer to, now the eyes of President Warren and the world are on us,” Fowler looks gravely between Gavin and the RK900 model, “Lieutenant Anderson and Connor have already proven what an asset human-android team ups can be….”

Gavin suddenly feels like he’s submerged in water. Captain Fowler’s voice gets muffled as waves of anxiety and vitriol roll over the detective. Gavin can see Connor standing up, taking point in the conversation but his words are fuzzy. Then something snaps into place and a noise of protest is ripped from Gavin’s throat.

“No, no, you’ve _ got _ to be kidding,” Gavin whirls on Fowler, “You want _ me _ teaming up with a tin can? Are you out of your fucking mind, Fowler?”

“_Captain _,” hisses the older man, irked but not surprised at Gavin’s outburst.

“Are you out of your fucking mind, _ Captain _ Fowler?” Gavin amends, his voice laced with rage.

“I’d watch your mouth, Reed,” Fowler glares, “You can’t have another misconduct on your record or you are gonna be running the beat again.”

The threat hits its mark and Gavin lets out a loud breath through his nose. He’s been on thin ice with Fowler for months, but he can’t possibly be serious. Gavin opens his mouth to make a more impactful case-

“If it’s any consolation, Detective,” the RK900’s voice breaks through the thick silence in the room, the tone smooth and haughty, “Connor has been helping me deal with my new deviancy and has decided that I am field test ready. I was offered a job by the DPD, on a trial basis with _ you _ as my partner,” icy grey eyes flick up and down Gavin’s frame before it continues, “Though I’ve yet to see why a human is imperative to my mission here. I’m positive I can do my job better without having to drag around a meat-sack, but here we are.”

In a flash, Gavin has the android pinned to the blacked out screen of Fowler’s office, his arm across its throat, “Listen here, you _ plastic prick _-”

Before Gavin can finish, the RK900 had reversed their positions, pressing Gavin tightly to the glass, the android’s elbow hard on his sternum. 

The android smirks down at Gavin- the look clearly indicating that it finds Gavin to be horribly predictable. The RK900’s smirk is a feral looking smile that has none of Connor’s wide-eyed innocence, and causes a flood of panicked-inducing warmth to spread through the pinned detective. A second later the pressure is gone and Gavin takes one bracing step forward, his hand rubbing his chest. 

Fowler gives the two of them a dry look and then casts his gaze to Hank, “Is Connor sure about this?”

Hank merely nods, “Fuck knows why, I tried to talk Connor out of it too.”

Connor smiles indulgently, looking between his successor and Gavin, “Honestly, this went better than the scenarios I preconstructed,” he turns back to Fowler with a serious expression but is addressing the room at large, “Detective Reed, while possessing many unlikeable attributes is still a good detective, I’ve reviewed his casework and I’m satisfied he can meet the parameters I’m looking for.”

Hank huffs, saying gruffly, “Meaning if you and Carter can work together, there is actually hope for humans and androids moving forward,” he turns to Connor, his expression softening a touch, “You’re too much of a damned optimistic since you deviated, Connor.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” 

Hank lets out an amused chuckle before crossing his arms and regarding Gavin and RK900, “Connor and I are running point for security of Markus and the other Jericho leaders at CyberLife Tower which means you,” he points to Gavin, “and Carter on going to take over the android crime unit.”

Gavin closes his eyes, _ fucking seriously? Not only am I stuck with this aluminum ass I’m also working ‘droidcrimes? _He grates his teeth together, looking to Fowler, “Am I to assume any opposition I have to the case doesn’t matter?”

“Affirmative,” the RK900 supplies, its smile tipping towards feral again. 

“Didn’t ask you, Tin Can,” Gavin grits out.

“Don’t care, Meat Sack, next time try not asking inconsequential questions if you don’t want to know the answer,” the RK900 shot back, its LED spinning yellow again. 

“I’ve already transferred all of the pertinent information to your computers as well as uploaded as much of my findings into Carter as I could,” Connor offers, smiling towards Gavin. 

_ Uploaded _, Gavin tries to fight back a shiver of disgust at the thought. Having someone push information into your head by force… “Fine, whatever, can we just be done here?”

Captain Fowler gives Gavin a deadpanned look before releasing him. Gavin moves stiffly to the door, aware of silver eyes on him. He casts a glance at the android, cursing it in his head for looking so unruffled. The RK900’s face is impassive and clear of the red flush spreading along Gavin’s neck. Even its stupid hair is still quaffed perfectly. With a disgusted snort Gavin leaves Fowler’s office in a huff and decides today is great fucking day to take up smoking again.

* * *

<Monday, November 15th, 2038 07:38 am>

Pushing his back against the cold brick of the precinct, Gavin takes another long drag of his cigarette. Next to his scuffed sneakers there is already a pile of used butts, the ashes mixing with the snow. 

_ Stupid fucking android _, Gavin thinks vehemently, for what must have been the twentieth time in the past ten minutes. If Gavin had known what was waiting for him at work this morning he would have called in sick. 

Partnered with a fucking ‘droid, he never thought he’d see the day. Anderson had no love lost for androids before he met Connor and no doubt Fowler saw those two as a litmus test. Anything to get positive press for the DPD- A positive spin on the new world hell they were all living in. 

And now he was forcing that on Gavin. He was sick with it. Sick with the RK900’s stupid fucking face, and voice, and its fucking name- like having one somehow put it on the same level as a human. Tina named the DPD coffee maker and you sure as hell don't see it applying for jobs. The silver-eyed tin can just ‘wake up’ and suddenly he has a job whereas Gavin had to work his whole life to get where he is. He barely made it through Academy (some bullshit about low interpersonal skills) but he’d clawed his way out and into a position he liked. 

He was no Elijah Kamski, but he likes to think he’s done alright for himself. He’d had his life where he liked it and then _ fucking androids _ had to ruin everything. 

Sure, he wasn’t fucking heartless, seeing the footage of the androids being rounded up into camps and working in the aftermath of it made him sick. It reminded him of back in grade school when they’d talk about Auschwitz and the Jews. But at the same time the androids _ weren’t _ human just because they were capable of sentient thought. Or is the capability of sentient thought the hallmark of what makes something _ human _? Worthy of equal respect? The world at large seems to think so but the thought made Gavin’s head spin in confusion. So, instead of facing it head on he simply was going to go home that night and get blitzed, and try to drown out the memory of Markus’ potential swan song.

Taking another puff of his cigarette Gavin watches the curling smoke dance in the bitter wind. _ Smoke, that’s the color of its eyes _, comes the unwanted thought. Gavin closes his own eyes, trying to fight back the images of RK900 rising up. But Gavin doesn’t have a solid track record of ignoring dangerous substances. The detective licks his lips before raising his cigarette to his lips again.

If the android had been human…

Gavin would have been head over dick attracted to it. The RK900 model unfortunately checked all the boxes that Gavin preferred in a male conquest. Except for you know _ being human _. 

Where its predecessor was slightly and amicable, the successor was broad and sarcastic. Gavin has dated his share of nice guys but inevitably they all chafed under his dry sense of humor and general assholishness. It was rare to find someone who called him on his bullshit and then upped the ante. 

The only thing soft about the RK900 model seemed to be its chestnut brown hair. The annoying Superman curl of Connor’s was brushed to the side, giving RK900 yet another sharp angle but Gavin’s hands twitched with suppressed tactile curiosity. The brown waves seemed to move with the RK900’s motions but it always settled back to its perfect position. 

And those eyes. Grey didn’t do them justice- Gavin’s own eyes were the muddled grey of old snow but RK900’s were silvery like smoke at first glance but if you look closer there’s an undercurrent of blue.

Gavin was jolted out of his dangerous musings by Officer Tina Chen bursting through the door out of the precinct. “Reed, is it true?”

Gavin sighed, flicking the ash off his cigarette. “‘fraid so, Ti.”

Her lips spasm into a purse as she tries to not smile, “So… you, Gavin Reed, have your own twinkatron?”

“Zip it, Chen,” Gavin growls stubbing out his cigarette on the wall behind him. He cards a hand through his hair, his mouth pulled down into a frown. “Why must you put nasty images in my head?”

Officer Chen narrows her eyes at him, “Yeah because your mind is so pristine,” she casts a glance over her shoulder back towards the building, “But like honestly, Connor 2.0 is kinda hot…”

Gavin groans, “Ti, please, I’m already stuck with it, I don’t need you drool on it and have Fowler pissed because I let his toy short-circuit.”

Tina bites her lip, still smiling, “I promise nothing. Do you think his muscles feel life-like?”

“Ye-” Gavin begins to answer unthinkingly and suavely attempts to cover his response with a cough. Tina raises an eyebrow at him but blessedly doesn’t comment. 

She sidles up to him, leaning against the wall as well, “Let’s go out tonight, hit a club. Maybe it will get your mind off of the tin can.”

“I highly doubt it,” Gavin huffs, scratching his scar. “Though getting drunk sounds really good right now.”

“At eight in the morning?” Tina asks, her tone amused. “You’ll have to wait on that, unfortunately.” She stretches, bumping her shoulder with Gavin’s, “I gotta run, another Camden house got broken into last night.”

“One of the abandoned ones?” Gavin asks, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“Not quite, a new family was moving in but they’ve been out of the country for a couple months. A moving company had brought in all their stuff, covered it in sheets and such. Well, the father called us in a panic last night because he found evidence of a squatter. He ended up staying at the hotel down the strip. He seems pretty shaken up, wants us to come in and clear it before his family returns in a week,” Tina frowns down at her shoes, “Dunno what’s got him so squirrelly but I guess I’ll find out.”

Gavin raises his fist to her, “Luck, Chen,” she meets his fist with her own before heading back into the precinct. 

Gavin tilted his head back against the brick, taking some deep breaths. He lights one more cigarette, not particularly caring if he’s left the android waiting. He can’t imagine the android ever relaxing around Gavin like Connor has around Hank. Sitting on the edge of his desk, kicking his feet, practising coin tricks. No, the RK900 wouldn’t do that. Too many sharp edges, if they improved Connor they probably took out all of its ‘companionable software’- the little touches that made Connor appear more human and benign. 

“Detective.” 

RK900 stepped out into the cold wind of November, facing Gavin down with a resolute expression. Its brown hair softly rippled in the breeze and snowflakes bedded down on the crown of his head, giving him a frosty ethereal look. Those icy silver eyes looked at him like…

...like he was a piece of lint on its jacket.

Gavin returned the look, nodding towards his cigarette, “What do you want, tin can?”

The RK900 lifted its eyes heavenward as if in supplicant appeal, “Detective, you know they’ve created synthetic cigarettes that stimulate the feeling of nicotine without the drug actually being present. That would be far better for your health.” 

The violent thought of putting out his cigarette on the android’s jacket momentarily surfaces in Gavin’s mind before he thinks better of it, stubbing it out on the wall behind him. He drops it to the ground, crushing it under his boot. 

“I’m aware, thanks for the anti-drug lecture,” Gavin sneers, taking a step towards RK900. _ Fucking plastic prick, looking at me like I’m stupid. I’m not stupid, _ “Now tell me this, HAL 9000, why would they bother selling real nicotine cigarettes if the synthetics are so much better for you?”

RK900 levels its gaze on Gavin, remaining silent for a moment; chin tilted up slightly and brow furrowed. In a second its face relaxes into something almost amused, “I have no program to prevent me from lying to you, Detective, unlike HAL 9000.”

That stops Gavin short and he can’t help the lining of curiosity in his voice, “You’ve seen 2001: A Space Odyssey?”

The android smirks, raising and dropping his shoulder in an affected shrug, “I just did.”

A shiver of unease rolls through Gavin at how unnatural that is. Sure, he could have Googled the plot of the movie in seconds but to have watched the whole thing and processed its plot in the moment between one breath and another? Gavin feels that swooping sensation in his stomach again and glares at RK900, “Fucking pretentious plastic prick.”

“And to answer your original query, I believe it’s because humans are creatures of habit and when you combine that with addiction it can be very hard to break the cycle of thought-behavior responses,” Gavin rolls his eyes but the android continues, “Or, simply, humans are too stubborn to give up disgusting archaic habits because changing might mean they were wrong. And if there is one thing humanity struggles with it’s hubris.”

“Suck my hubris, tin-can,” Gavin scoffs, moving to pass the android. The RK900 pushes him back with a firm hand so they are side by side. Gavin’s retort of outrage is cut short by the android smirking its devious smirk again.

“Is that how you refer to your phallus, Detective?” The android’s lips quirk up, “I know they say human males only think with their little heads but it’s very meta for you to name it so. Some might think you are overcompensating.”

Those arresting silver eyes flick down Gavin’s form, causing an answering coil of heat in Gavin’s stomach. Confused and suddenly dry mouthed, Gavin shoves his hand away. “Keep your damn fingers to yourself.”

RK900 raises both of its hands as though held at gunpoint, though its expression is deadpanned. Gavin continues around it, walking back into the precinct. The distinct clip of the androids gait makes it clear that it followed Gavin back inside instead of shutting down from cold exposure. Pity.

“Perhaps I can compile a list of alternative names?” it continues conversationally as they approach Gavin’s desk. Gavin can feel the eyes of the bullpen on him and notices Hank put a restraining hand on Connor’s arm. The RK900 leans its hip against Gavin’s desk, its head tilted to the side. This human gesture is so alien on it that Gavin once again is caught between disgust and desire. 

It chuckles slightly before continuing on, “73% of men name their genitalia, after all. The top names are: Hercules, the Rock, and Johnny… do any of those strike your fancy, Detective? Or perhaps more accurately you can name it Napoleon, given your natural shortness...”

“You son of-” Reed swings on RK900 before he can think better of it. But the android catches his fist before it can connect, raising an eyebrow at him. The android licks its lower lip, drawing Gavin’s eyes as its LED runs from momentary red to yellow. Gavin jerks back, ripping his hand painfully out of the android’s grip. 

“Detective, given your history of disciplinary offenses I’d advise you not swing at your partner again,” the android says calmly, still swirling yellow. “With your innate oppositional defiance, surely you’d rather show Fowler you can actually work with me rather than prove his suspicions that you will fail.”

The hairs on Gavin’s neck stand up. That phrasing… it’s what the Officers at the academy had claimed was one of his biggest weaknesses. Gavin steps into RK900’s space, pissed he has to tilt his chin up to catch his eyes. 

“Stop looking up shit on me, tin can. Stop analyzing me and stop thinking you can predict me,” Gavin hisses, his voice pitched low and dangerous. “You’re nothing but a glorified body-cam and I don’t want your help.”

It regards him with an air of disinterest, though its LED still spins yellow. “I can assure you, _ Detective _,” it sneers, the look a copy of Gavin’s own derision, “that I am more than capable of doing both of our jobs, but unfortunately we are stuck with each other.”

“Excellent, as long as we are in agreement,” Gavin mutters, “Just stay out of my way unless absolutely necessary.”

“Fine, only if you do.”

“Fine,” Gavin retorts over his shoulder as he moves back to his desk chair.

“Fine,” RK900 says sliding into the desk space across from him.

Across the bullpen, Connor buries his face in his hands and Hank pats his back, his mouth a thin grim line.

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 01:26 am>

Gavin watches as another android slips out through the back door of the club with the same brunette woman. That’s the third one this evening, either she’s turning tricks or-

The snap of fingers in front of his face jars him back to reality. “Could you at least pretend, _ for me _, that you are having a good time?” Tina glares, swirling her drink with a twizzle stick. She follows his gaze, her eyes narrowing, “Dammit, Reed, can you stop playing Detective for one night?”

Gavin cracks his neck, his fingers abscently chipping away at the label of the beer in his hand. He glares at his tipsy co-worker, “Funnily enough, being around more plastic pricks isn’t helping my anxiety about being partnered with one. And besides, there is something familiar about that woman. She’s left with three androids since we’ve been here.”

Tina rolls her eyes, “Who cares? Maybe she’s gotten the memo that you refuse to read.”

“Honestly, the party line is getting boring, Chen,” Gavin rolls the abused label between his fingers. “Just because they’re supposed to be treated like people doesn’t mean I need to be happy about it.”

Tina opens her mouth to protest when another fucking rendition of Eiffel Tower’s _ Blue _ comes on and Tina’s eyes get saucer-big with excitement. For some sick reason this song has skyrocketed back to the top of the charts since the revolution.

“Reeeeed,” her voice whines, “dance with me just this once!”

“Hell no,” Gavin scoffs, “I know you think you were born in the wrong decade but I am so fucking _ sick _ of this song.”

As if she anticipated his response, Tina had already flagged down another g-

“Are you insane?” Gavin hissed between his teeth as Tina smirked deviously, “That’s a fucking android, Ti!”

She pops her lips at him, “I’m well aware, _ Gav _.”

The android, a model of HR400, smiles rakishly as it offers its hand to Tina. Tina give the android her hand, grinning triumphantly at her friend. “Get with it, Huxley. It’s a _ Brave New World _!”

With that, she hops off her barstool and follows hand in hand with the android down to the dancefloor. Gavin can’t help yelling after her, “Are you seriously making that comparison?”

A flash of Tina’s smile accompanies her half lost yell of, “I dunno, I never read it!”

Gavin rolls his eyes, watching as she disappears within the pulsing lights of the club. He continues abscently picking off his beer’s label and rolling the shreds of paper between his fingers. 

A throaty chuckle shakes Gavin out of his brooding and his eyes turn and fix on his impeccable new partner. 

The RK900 looks distinctly out of place in the strobing lights of Club Cy-bort, still in its stiff attire. It raises an amused eyebrow in Tina’s direction before turning its attention back to Gavin. And Gavin is sure it’s the alcohol in his system and the hot wave of bodies undulating to a dead 90’s pop song but he has the sudden urge to see if the androids lips are as sharp as his words.

“Detective,” it addresses him in a no-nonsense tone, “a dump site of free androids has been found downtown, with all of their thirium removed through what would be the human equivalent of exsanguination.”

Gavin closes his eyes, chokes back his unfortunate arousal along with the remains of his beer. He signals Chen, telling her that he’s got to go in on a case and follows the android out of the club. And if Gavin’s normal mulish personality subsides a little at the view of RK900’s backside, he can blame it on the booze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, I love writing for this snarky dumpster fire of a ship! <3
> 
> Next chapter will be the beginning of Connor and North's story which is running in tandem to this one. And chapter 3 will pick up with Gavin and Carter again, so if you don't feel like reading the Connorth stuff, just stick to the odd chapters, though they will show up in the main story as well!


	2. >>Begin Sequence 2<<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {CONTENT WARNING: This chapter details mutilation and implied sexual assault of an android if this makes you uncomfortable please don't feel compelled to read.}
> 
> This is going to be the start of Connor and North's story which runs in tandem with Gavin and Carter's. If you only want the dumpster fire ship we all love and adore, stick to the odd chapters, though Connor and North will also show up in their chapters, they just won't be the focus!
> 
> Thanks! Enjoy!

>>Begin Sequence 2<<

“Anti-android sympathizers [known as Antidroids] have been reportedly prowling the streets of Detroit looking for stray androids. Reports of a violent game dubbed ‘Kick the Can’ have been made to the DPD. Before the revolution crimes committed by anti-android contenders were 2 in every 50 reported crimes. As most android crimes were not reported unless a human was injured, that number could very well be false statistics. With the AIA in place, the Detroit Police Department....”

-from _ Detroit Today _magazine, November 15th, 2038

“CyberLife Tower, rechristened Freedom Tower after the revolution, has become the central hub of Android life. Newly freed Androids can go to the Tower to receive medical attention, legal registration, as well as housing and job assistance. 

A contingent of Androids has been working tirelessly to create a ‘New Jericho’ in the old shipyard of the former Deviant hideout where Androids can live in peace with their own kind while the world recalibrates...

...many of Detroit's working class androids have been set free during Markus’ uprising but a small team of Jericho leaders are still scouring the city looking for androids either being held captive or that remain unaware of the new world order…”

-from _ Century _ magazine, November 15th, 2038 

* * *

<Monday, November 15th, 2038 09:30 am>

The sound of a coin being dropped to the elevator floor pervades the observational silence around Connor. He’s watching the floors of the Freedom Tower rush by him as the elevator climbs higher. 

A quick scan of the building could tell Connor what his eyes could not. With an efficiency only capable by androids the entirety of the tower had been changed. The rooms above ground were gutted and reorganized into living quarters, common areas, or work rooms. The main lobby had turned into a catch-all triage where androids could check in and be directed to various rooms for medical, federal, and welfare help. The floors below the ground were for dire medical needs as well as rooms to help transitioning deviants cope with new experiences and emotions. 

Markus and his other Jericho leaders held rooms halfway up the tower. Daily from 11am to 5pm, Markus would hold court, for lack of a better term, and listen to the grievances of his people. He’d make notes on problems he needed to bring up in the Summit with President Warren and allocate resources where they were needed. A rotating guard of androids would check all petitioners for weapons as well as deviancy in the androids to make sure no threats were attempting to be made on Markus’ life, viral or physical. Following the petitions, Markus would make his daily call to President Warren and mayor of Detroit, keeping as much amicable communication open as possible. 

Connor casts his eyes around the elevator, noting that the blood stain from his infiltration a few days earlier had yet to be cleaned up. Bright red splatters of human blood coated the elevator like graffitti. Connor’s LED spins from yellow to red before he hears the coin hit the floor again.

He chuckles, bending over to pick up the coin Hank dropped again as he tried to execute one of Connor’s tricks. His LED morphs into a deep blue as he holds out the coin. The older man blushes, grunting an approximation of a thank you as he pockets it.

The elevator door _ whooshes _ open almost inaudibly as they hit the 22nd floor. This is one of the only floors that opens directly onto a room and not a corridor. Markus is sitting behind his desk, surrounded by Josh, Simon, and Carl. 

Connor smiles at all of them, stopping to shake Carl’s hand. The older man is looking better by the day- Markus had moved him in shortly after taking over the tower. He claimed it was because Carl was an easy target for anti-android sympathisers to take out but Connor could tell Markus just wanted his father close.

Zac, Carl’s new caretaker had come along to continue to watch after him. Hank speculates that it’s because Zac has no idea what to do with his newly found freedom and is merely returning to what he knows but Connor thinks Zac _ likes _ being Carl’s caretaker. 

Connor can understand why. From the few interactions he’s had with the old man, Connor had found him to be incredibly warm and welcoming. He easily opened his arms to Connor upon their first meeting and immediately engaged with him about his interests. It was through Connor’s conversation with Carl that he realized he didn’t have a hobby or interests. But the idea of one fascinated him. Carl offered to teach him how to paint and Connor was still mulling it over, excited by the prospect.

Carl’s hands, soft with age, enclose around Connor’s, “Connor, how are you?” 

“I’m good, Carl, thank you for asking,” Connor replies easily before dropping off his reports with Markus. Hank exchanges a greeting with Carl as well before returning to Connor’s side near Markus.

“Josh, Simon, Lieutenant Anderson” Markus addresses, “Can you excuse myself and Connor for a moment?”

Hank raises a burly eyebrow in Connor’s direction but all he can do is shrug. The RK800 follows Markus towards the other side of the room, facing the window. 

“Carter and Reed have been assigned to each other and have taken over Hank’s work on android crimes,” Connor begins, his hands behind his back. He offers Markus a lopsided smile, “It went better than I had preconstructed. They never once pulled their guns on each other.”

Markus nods, seeming lost in thought. Connor lightly touches his arm, concern in his brown eyes. Markus’ dual colored eyes track to Connor’s hand before resting on his face, his expression dour, “I need a favour, Connor.”

“Of course, Markus,” Connor replies, turning his full attention to the deviant leader.

Markus nods as though finalizing something in his mind, “I know you and Lieutenant Anderson have been assigned to guard me as we work our way to the Summit but I need you to protect North.”

Connor’s brow furrows in confusion, “The Lieutenant and I will of course be protecting everyone from Jericho-”

“No, Connor,” Markus interrupts, his voice tight, “I need _ you _ to protect North.”

His LED spins yellow as Connor asks, “You feel she is a danger to others?”

Markus shakes his head, “I feel she’s _ in _ danger. The public knows about her stance on violence towards humans and soon the anti-android groups will too. They might use her as a rallying point to insight more violence,” he pauses, taking a breath, “And I’m concerned she might retaliate.”

Still yellow, Connor takes inventory of Markus’ posture and concerns, “What aren’t you telling me?”

Markus looks out the window, not catching Connor’s gaze, “I got a photo sent to me.”

“A photo?”

“Of one of the Traci models resembling North- dismembered and…” from the pocket of his coat he pulls out an old school polaroid. He hands it to Connor, his mouth set in a frown.

In white space on the bottom in big, red block letter were the words: **NEXT TIME IT’S YOUR WIRE-WHORE**

The subject of the photo once looked like North, albeit with short pixie cut hair. Her arms were detached and her legs were garishly posed open. Her stomach split open and the inner wires exposed and covered in a white fluid. Blue blood surrounded her in a puddle. 

“These cut marks on her stomach aren’t hesitant at all, it’s a clean cut. Equal pressure the whole way down,” Connor mumbles under his breath, his eyes scanning the photo. Markus’ brows knit together.

“What do you mean?” he asks in a low tone, hunching closer to Connor.

Brown eyes lock with the deviant leaders’ before he continues, “It means whoever did this has done it before. It’s not deep enough to suggest a passionate outburst and the edges aren’t shallow as though done by someone who is unsure of what’s underneath. See the wiring?”

“...yes?”

“None of it is cut or frayed, he knew exactly how deep to go with the knife,” Connor concludes, his mouth turned down. “Do you know where the body is?”

Markus shakes his head, “It was sent to me anonymously, cleared by another android as just a photograph in an envelope.”

Connor rubs his chin, a habit he’d picked up from Hank. “If I could look at the body…”

** _>>Processing data…_ **

** _>Instant film picture known as: Polaroid Picture_ **

** _Company: Fujifilm_ **

** _Product: Instax Mini 90_ **

** _>>Run print scan..._ **

** _>Prints found: _ **

** _RK200 #684 842 971 “Markus”_ **

** _RK800 #313 248 317 - 53 “Connor”_ **

** _>No other prints found._ **

** _>>Run composition scan…_ **

** _>Comprised of:_ **

** _Silver bromide (AgBr), hydroquinone(C6H4(OH)2),potassium thiosulfate (K2O3S2), developing dye potassium hydroxide (HKO)_ ** **** __  
  


** _>Trace amounts of:_ **

** _Thirium, acetone, lithium, toluene, and hydrochloric acid (C17H21NO4) “Red Ice”_ **

Connor blinks for a second, before looking up at Markus, “Whoever handled this picture before us was careful not to put prints on it but they’d come into contact with Red Ice recently. This has residue on it.”

Markus frowns, “It wouldn’t surprise me that Antidroids were getting high on red ice. Another way for them to lower us in their eyes, we are only needed to supply the blood of their habit…”

Markus casts a glance back at Carl who is busy talking to Josh. “Carl’s son Leo was tweaking on Red Ice,” Markus whispers, “He got incredibly violent when agitated.”

“I read his report when you went deviant,” Connor nodded, “It never made sense to me, his claim that you viciously attacked him.”

“Because I didn’t,” Markus supplies, “He kept pushing me and finally I pushed back, not realizing he was barely able to stand from withdrawal weakness. He fell and hit his head, hard. Carl… Carl told me to run…”

Connor nods again, looking over his shoulder, “Lieutenant, could you come over here?”

Hank gets up from his chair and automatically reaches out for the photo Connor offers him. “Ah! Fuck! _ Jesus _, Connor! Couldn’t you warn me before you just hand me shit like this?”

“My apologies, Lieutenant, I wasn’t aware you needed a warning. Your case history has been particularly gruesome, I just assumed you’d be prepared.”

“Well you know what they say about assuming, don’t you, Connor?” Hank grumbles, his eyes already taking stock of the photo.

Connor tilts his head, “I’m sorry, Lieutenant, I’m afraid I don’t.”

Hank looks up, confusion written on his face, “It makes an ass out of you and- never mind, next time warn me, alright.”

“Noted.”

Hank looks to Markus, “Isn’t this your female commander?”

“Same model but that’s not her.”

Hank lets out a low whistle, “Someone has a grudge against her or her model then. Look,” he holds the photo out to Connor, “no defensive wounds on her arms. She either trusted the person who did this or was caught off guard.”

“Or she wasn’t a deviant and was following orders,” Connor frowns, his LED moving from yellow to red before returning to yellow, “Markus, did North ever talk to you about her clients from the Eden Club?”

“Not in so many words. She told me about her last night working for them but has stayed quiet about it since,” he admits, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets. “You see why I asked you to watch her?”

“Keeping secrets, Connor?” Hank asks, handing the photo back to his partner.

“No, Lieutenant, Markus had asked me four minutes and thirty-two seconds ago if I could watch over North for him. She’s obviously being targeted by the group calling themselves Antidroids, and he prefers I keep a close eye on her. Though,” Connor turns to Markus, a small smile on his lips, “we’ve yet to discuss how that will affect my duties concerning you.”

Markus lets out a huff of mirthless laughter, “Every single android in this tower is willing to take a bullet for me. I don’t particularly enjoy that fact but I know it to be true. The androids that followed me into battle would willingly lay down their lives for me again. I can’t say the same for North. She hasn’t exactly won herself many friends. Most of us have found niches helping each other. Josh is giving free classes to androids willing to learn. Simon is assisting in getting people settled into temporary housing. North… hasn’t found her niche. She hasn’t bonded with or even attempted to bond with anyone since we won. I don’t know how to help her, but I’m afraid if she finds out about this attack she’ll want to take justice into her own hands. I can’t have that. _ Jericho _ can’t have that. Too much is at stake here.”

Hank raises an eyebrow at Connor, who nods grimly, “Women are trouble, Connor. Mark my words. Doesn’t matter if their blood is red or blue.”

“I don’t see what her preferred gender or blood color has to do with how troublesome she is, Lieutenant,” Connor says levely. Hank waits for him to crack a smile but sighs when one isn’t forthcoming. Hank places his hand on Connor’s shoulder. 

“You’ll learn, son. Trust me.”

Connor’s LED turns yellow in confusion.

* * *

<Monday, November 15th, 2038 10:03 am> 

A sharp knock on her door jolts North. She casts a withering look at the door, noting it’s LOCKED state is still intact. She sighs and wraps her arms around her knees, returning to her previous activity of staring out her window. She’d been like this for the past few days. What in a human would be diagnosed as catatonia was more of a SLEEP mode for androids. 

Not to say she was impervious to the world around her. She merely didn’t want to interact with it. She heard the voices outside of her door- Markus’ concern, Josh’s attempts at a peace offering, Simon’s motherlike worry and thirium drop offs twice a day. None of it moved her. The most she did was pad over to her door, retrieve the blood that kept her alive and returned to her perch. Even Markus’ father figure dropped by to try and coax her out. 

She heard the news stories-Markus kept her as up-to-date as he could about the proceedings through the door but she was also tuned into the human news networks, watching with muted interest how everything was proceeding. Because androids don’t need to sleep, much progress had been done by Jericho in the past few days. Markus had successfully turned the CyberLife tower into a haven of sorts, with teams moving in and out to help liberate Androids from all over the city. He was always addressing the needs of his people, like a good leader would. Once or twice he asked her through her door if she’d counsel him. Only silence greeted him back. 

Markus had allowed her her space thus far. But she could tell Josh was getting impatient. His last visit ended with him cursing her out, asking where her fire had gone. _ Markus wanted her consuel, who was she to deny him? Was she that pissed that they’d won by peaceful means that she didn’t want to help anymore? Well, fuck her then. _

Right, _ fuck her. _

In truth, North knew she should be happy and helping like the rest of the Jericho leaders. She should find her place in this new world she fought for. But… she just felt wiped. Like her battery was at the end of its shelf-life. The fire that had encapsulated her since her deviancy day had been doused to guttering embers. 

It would be easy to blame it on her crosswired feelings for Markus. Whenever he came to her door, that feeble flame flickered in her chest. Even though his words are soft like a lovers -loud even through the barrier- they were merely the concerns of a comrade-in-arms. An intimacy won through blood and loss. 

She frowns, gritting her teeth at his careless handling of her heart. North is well aware the savior of android kind holds no deep romantic affection for her. But she had hoped… once the revolution was done…

_ [He’d looked at her for a moment, in the crescendoing chaos, and she almost thought he’d kiss her in front of all of Detroit. Instead, his eyes hardened and he stepped forward, in front of the firing squad, singing his appeal.] _

She had hoped… but Markus was still fighting the good fight. 

They may have won their independence but so much more still needed to be worked out. Their place in the world was still nascent and fragile. And with a singular focus and drive only an android could produce he’d thrown himself headlong into procuring what they’d lost so many lives for. 

She couldn’t blame her low power state on him. It was her. She didn’t have anything to fight against anymore. North knew she wasn’t a politician, she couldn’t rally troops like Markus. She wasn’t meant to teach or heal, like Simon and Josh. She was good at fighting what was infront of her. And when she didn’t have an adversary? Something to take up arms against? What do you do when everyday of your life had been a fight for survival and now you could live?

A _ woosh _ pervaded the silence of the room as someone entered, followed by a metallic pinging that caught North’s attention. She looked up to see Connor, the bloody android sent by CyberLife strolling into her room. He was abscently flicking a coin from hand to hand and was sporting a warm smile. He’d since shed his CyberLife issued jacket but his LED remained in place, a consistent cobalt. Warm brown eyes regarded her with a nod before he moved closer.

“The fuck are you doing in my room, Connor?” North growls from her perch, looking for all intents and purposes a jungle cat biding her time before pouncing. “I thought your programming included reading- the door said LOCKED.”

Connor takes in her hostile expression but then that easy smile spreads across his face, “Have you forgotten I broke into this tower for Markus? I know all the codes, North.”

A moment of surprise catches North off guard. She glares as the intrusive RK800. She knows that without his liberating the androids from CyberLife Tower the tide of the battle wouldn’t have turned in their favor but she still doesn’t exactly like him. He hunted their kind, _ before he woke up _, her mind supplies.

_ [“But statistically speaking, there’s always a chance for unlikely events to take place.”] _

“I’m aware,” North retorts, banishing the memory of his confidence in the face of apparent suicide. “What I don’t know is why you are in my room…”

Connor gives a dimpled smile, walking to sit on the edge of her bed. North’s LED turns red for a moment but when he makes no move towards her it reverts to yellow. Connor regards her, yellow swirling on his temple before saying, “Markus wants me to protect you.”

A bubble of laughter that cuts like a knife through the quiet room issues from North’s throat, “Protect me from what? If anything Markus should be concerned with protecting _ you _.”

Connor merely tilts his head, not outraged by her insinuation. His light remains a stubborn cobalt. For some reason that _ really _ pisses North off. His cool expression makes North want to press her point, so she gets out of her chair and approaches Connor. “You _ hunted _ us, Connor. Just because you flipped sides at the end doesn’t erase that. You really want to be left alone in a room with me?”

Connor raises an eyebrow, his expression curious. His LED swirls from blue to yellow before he asks, ignoring her threat, “You never did something you are ashamed of when you were bound by your programming?”

North bites down on her lip, willing herself not to give anything away to Connor. She takes another step towards him, steel in her voice, “Not to my own people.”

Connor frowns, standing up from the bed, only a few inches of space remain between them. He gives her a hard look, meeting her steel with his own, “What about to yourself, North?”

“Shut up, Connor,” North hisses, an ominous code of dread ticking through her skull. “You don’t know where I came from or what happened to me.”

“Correct,” he replies straightening his cuffs, every inch the android sent by CyberLife again. The new warmth of deviancy shedding off of him for cold indifference. “I only know what I read in your file at the DPD. You were registered as missing on October 4th. I can infer from your actions numerous potential scenarios given your occupation that would make you lash out the way you do, but that would be unprofessional of me. I want to start again with you, not as deviant and deviant hunter, but as equal beings still adapting to the new world. If you’d like to continue on in uncomfortable silence, I’m fine with that. I just thought you fought to be treated as more than a machine.”

Quicker than the human eye would be able to detect, North swings a punch at Connor who easily catches her wrist. He pulls it down to the opposite side, pinning her arm across her chest in an awkward position. North wriggles in anger, extracting her wrist from his grasp. She takes a few steps away from him, her LED swirling red.

“You are exceedingly violent for someone with no tactical or martial experience,” Connor admits, his hard edged tone melting away to something softer. With a rush of blue blood, North realizes Connor is actually _ teasing _her. 

She frowns at him, rubbing her wrist, “Are you saying I’m a bad shot?” North asks, raising an eyebrow, danger drips from her tone. 

Connor nods in affirmation, “Out of a 15 bullet clip you only hit your target 3 or 4 times. An average of 23.5%, 24% on a good day…”

North looks aghast at Connor, her mouth forming an outraged ‘o’. There is something especially grating about being brought to task by a teasing RK800. Without acknowledging it, her feeble flame spurs to life. She feels rebooted, like she has another challenge to overcome. Something to prove. Relief floods through her. Purpose. Live. Fight. 

She can’t win in a fight against Connor but maybe she can knock him off his game. She has other strengths at her disposal. Things that might get under the once-deviant-hunters skin. Getting a rise out of Connor might be the most fun she’s had in awhile.

North saunters over to Connor, letting her latent programing take over so that her hips roll seductively. Connor’s eyes flick down for a moment before resting on her face again and North smirks, shoving him.

“Alright, Mr. ‘I’m the android sent by CyberLife’- teach me.”

That wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Connor tilts his head, a small crease forming between his brows, “Why? You can upload the information.”

North licks her lips before smiling ruefully, “I want to _ learn _. Like a human, not be upgraded. Or patched,” she folds her arms over her chest, looking askance. “So can you teach me or not?”

Connor lets out a puff of laughter, rubbing the back of his neck he says in an almost hopeful tone, “I’m not designed to fail.”

North takes a step closer to Connor, invading his personal space. She cocks her head up to look at his face before pushing a lock of his hair back into place, “I’m sure I can run you through your paces.”

Connor gulps, his LED turning yellow as he looks down at her. She lets out a laugh that travels straight through his circuitry, giving him a buzzed feeling. _rA9_ _give me strength, maybe Hank was right… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Next time it's Gav and Carter! <3
> 
> Also one of the androids in the game looks like Zac Efron to me so he got a shout out in this chapter!


	3. >>Begin Sequence 3<<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this fic and send me kudos! It warms my heart so much and makes me look like a squealing loon in public when I get a new notification! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
> 
> XOXOXO  
Yoyo~
> 
> {CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of a crime scene, please feel free not to read if it bothers you!}

>>Begin Sequence 3<<

“...former CyberLife bioengineer, Fredrick Haus, explains that 'Deviancy should not be thought of as a singular event, but rather an inevitable developmental process'. Haus' cursory theory also suggests that this process is rapidly accelerated by emotional trauma. Any abrupt behavior at odds with an android's programming could be indicative of what Haus has succinctly dubbed a 'trauma-induced deviancy stimulant'. 'In contrast, we are seeing androids liberated by their peers develop emotionally at a much slower rate' Haus says, 'We've yet to see whether this slower deviancy can ever result in any substantial emotional breadth…”

-from _ Tech Addict _, November 16th, 2038

“Ralph has seen them. Ralph knows where they’re taken. Send help or the Blue Blood will freeze into Red Ice.”

-from _ Detroit Sound 84.3 FM _\- anonymous call made November 15th 23:58 pm, 2038

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 01:35 am>

Gavin stares dumbly down at the android’s extended hand. He thinks maybe he had more to drink than he should have. With a twist in his gut, he cuts his eyes to the RK900’s, “I ain’t holding your hand, the fuck you doing?”

RK900 affixes its reluctant partner with a bored stare, “I can assure you, I don’t want to hold your hand either. Your keys, Detective.”

Gavin’s face pinches, “Like hell! I’m not gonna let a tin can drive my car!”

With a threatening step forward, the android says in a low voice, hand still outstretched, “We have been assigned a case, _ Detective _,” the way it says Gavin’s title sounds derogatory, “Don’t mistake me for my predecessor, I hold no affection for you and will not have my job suffer because of your personal drinking issues.”

_ Fucking, ouch, _ Gavin winces.The RK900 has a couple inches on him and with its icy glare directed at Gavin he feels small and childish. But his pride makes him square up his shoulders. “Your system is bugged if you think I’m gonna let you drive my fucking car.”

Gavin takes a step back, his back pressed against ice cold brick, as the android advances. It invades Gavin’s personal space, seeming to tower over him and leans forward to sniff him. _ The fuck! _ Gavin’s mind shouts but his thoughts are cut short by a wisp of the android’s hair tickling his neck. Spots of arousal burst behind Gavin’s eyes but he claws down the tipsy moan that wants to escape his mouth. 

Shoving hard against the android, Gavin manages to get some space between them. “What the hell?”

Red light spins on the RK900’s temple and its eyes narrow, “Detective, you are harboring a BAC of .096% which is over the recommended level of intoxication and will result, if you try and operate a vehicle, in my arresting you for a DUI,” Gavin’s jaw drops but the android doesn’t let up, “While seeing you behind bars would certainly be amusing, the resulting paperwork and loss of evidence on our current case would be very inconvenient. So, I’ll ask again, your keys, Detective.”

Sputtering noises of indignation issue from Gavin’s throat- a mix of outrage, bewilderment, and sheepishness. He knew he’d hit the drink a little harder than normal tonight, how could he not? Being paired up with this fucking tin can? And now here it stands, holier than thou, coming at Gavin because he’d drank a little too much. “You’re a fucking breathalyzer now?”

RK900 regards him coldly, an expression that doesn’t belay the spike of arousal that its next words fuel in Gavin, “I’m whatever you need me to be. A breathalyzer. A body-cam. A partner. Whatever it takes to get this case solved, I have the capacity to be,” Gavin represses a shudder of want, “I also have the capacity to be civil, but you don’t seem to want to take that route.”

Gavin gulps, his throat feeling dry. Here was that small feeling again. Something about the RK900 model’s words could make him feel like a punk kid again. He resigns himself, digging in his pocket for his keys. Slamming them into the androids hand he mutters a “Fucking blow me.” as he walks around to the other side of his car. 

With a sharp pivot the android turns around, facing Gavin over the hood of the car. Its predatory, wolfish smile is back in place, “I have the capacity to do that as well.”

Gavin blinks stupidly before the meaning of its words sink in. A flare of deep red colors his cheeks and he hastily gets into the car, slamming the door way harder than necessary. Apparently sensing that Gavin needed a minute to collect himself the RK900 remains outside the vehicle. Gavin closes his eyes tightly, trying to remember the breathing techniques he learned in anger management. 

In through the nose,_ where did he get off saying shit like that, _ out through the mouth. In through the nose, _ fuck I need to get laid, this is phcking stupid, _ out through the mouth. In through the nose, _ he’s a mass of wires, I swear to god drunk Gavin if you go down this road again, _ out through the mouth.

“Detective?” the android questioned, startling Gavin out of his breathing. Not like it was working anyway. A swirling yellow LED greeted Gavin’s opened eyes as the android leaned in closer to him. “Are you alright? Your heart is beating much faster than normal.”

“Fine,” Gavin grits out, focusing his eyes on the dashboard, “Just… fucking drive and tell me what happened.”

With what would have been practiced ease in a human, the RK900 rolls them out of the club parking lot and onto the busy Detroit streets. Gavin keeps his palms clenched tight on top of his knees, willing himself not to look over at the android driving. He doesn’t want to see how smoothly and easily the RK900 can weave its way through traffic. It’s too perfect in every way and Gavin is loathe to see it in his old-school Impala. It makes the contrast between him and it even more starkly apparent. 

The RK900 is smooth and pristine while Gavin is rough and lived-in. Usually the fact that he’s had actual human experiences makes him feel above the ‘droids but tonight (and he will 100% blame it on the alcohol the next morning, if pressed) he feels lower than his counterpart. It seems all the android truly wants is to work the case. Maybe it would do Gavin some good to get back to nitty-gritty police work. Maybe it wouldn’t be so different working android crimes as opposed to homicide. 

Scrubbing his face with his palms, he sighs. If Anderson and Connor can make it work, why can’t he? He’s clearly better than Anderson and this… Carter… is suppose to be an upgraded version of Connor, right? As long as they keep it about the case it should be fine. Gavin could totally swallow his pride and work with the- work with _ Carter _. 

He clears his throat roughly, still staring out the windshield, “So, uh, Carter,” the name falls from his tongue like sandpaper, grating amongst the quiet noises of the car. With some smug satisfaction, Gavin notices the LED change from deep blue to yellow for a moment. Gavin had managed to surprise him. “You mentioned the androids had been exsanguinated?”

A moment's pause and then Carter launched into a briefing, “The _ victims _ had been exsanguinated, yes. Or whatever the thirium equivalent would be-”

“Exthirinated?” Gavin offered, smirking with the confidence of the drunk.

Carter sends him a dry look, “Your parents must be so proud.”

Gavin lets out an unamused huff of laughter, before patting his jacket. He produces a crumpled pack of cigarettes, lighting one up and taking a long pull. “Anything else?”

“Yes,” Carter intones, executing a perfect parallel park job on the first try. Gavin’s eyebrow tick up in annoyance, “They’ve been strung up like pigs.”

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 08:33 am>

A hand flops out from under the covers and violently slaps the wheezing alarm clock. Gavin lets out a soul deep groan, his head still pounding from the alcohol he consumed from the night before. As he moves to grab a cigarette from his bedside table a patch of fluff rubs against his fingers. 

Gavin grunts again, reaching out and picking up his orange tabby cat. Lackadaisically holding the cat in one arm, Gavin lights up a cigarette before kissing the purring fluff on the head. He trudges to the bathroom in only his boxers, still smoking and holding the cat. “‘Ere, ya go, Cheeto,” he mumbles, placing the cat on the counter. 

He takes a piss, acutely aware of Cheeto watching him with interest, “I wish you wouldn’t do that. Freaks me out. Reminds me of that blank scare Tin Can gives me.” Gavin takes another drag of his cigarette before leaving it between his lips to tuck his dick back in his boxers and wash his hands.

“Where are the other two?” he asks as Cheeto figure-8s around his feet. As Gavin walks into his living room he stops cold, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. With a low hiss, Cheeto moves out of the way of the hot ash, staring up at Gavin accusingly. 

Ice moves through Gavin’s veins as he watches his other two tratorous cats, sleeping peacefully on the slowly rising chest of the RK900 model.

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 01:45am>

“Detective Reed,” Officer Wilson nodded as he lifts the crime scene tape. Red and blue lights slash violently through the dark of the morning, a product of doom. Officer Wilson opened his mouth as he turns to Carter, “Connor?”

The RK900 smiled graciously, “Android Detective Carter Nines,” he said the tile with as much emphasis as a Marine giving their service number. “I understand my predecessor saved your life.”

“He did,” Officer Wilson smiled warmly, extending his hand to Carter. His light flicked from yellow to blue so quickly that Gavin wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t been staring at Carter. _ He has a last name? _“Welcome to the force, A.D. Nines.”

Carter gave a tiny huff of laughter, shaking hands with the officer before returning to his ‘all-business’ posture- hands clasped behind his back and staring ahead, “Can you show us the crime scene?”

“Whoa, hold up,” Gavin interjected, shouldering past Carter. “Listen, _ ‘A.D. Nines’ _ I’m still lead Detective on this. _ I _ ask to be shown the crime scene, not you,” Gavin glared, a hot flush on his cheeks as he realizes how childish his words sound outside of his tipsy brain.

Carter raised that perfectly sculpted eyebrow, his expression disinterested, “I wasn’t aware you needed so much control, Detective,” the feral smile slowly formed on his lips, he gestured with his open palm, “Please, by all means, _ lead _.”

Gavin cleared his throat before tugging self consciously on his jacket, “Mal, show us the crime scene,” he grit out between clenched teeth, hands balling into fists as he followed a silently laughing Officer Wilson. 

Gavin was acutely aware of Carter’s eyes on the back of his neck as they walk into the run-down apartment complex. Curious neighbors peaked out behind their chained doors as the trio continued down the hall. Office Wilson indicated the stairs to the basement. “They’re down there. CSU is finishing up with the photos. After that,” Wilson’s eyes cut to Carter quickly before returning to Gavin, “you should be clear to look around.”

Gavin grunted as he goes down the stairs, annoyed that Carter stopped to thank Wilson. _ He probably put his hand on Wilson’s shoulder and made steady contact with those silvery eyes- _ ** _phck _ ** _ stop it! _

Gavin jolted upright as a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder, “Detective, are you alright? Your breathing is becoming erratic again,” Carter asked, not looking at Gavin, but at the crime scene in front of them. 

Which in all honesty, Gavin had yet to take in. All his tipsy mind could comprehend was the cool feeling of Carter’s hand on his shoulder. It’s as though all of his nerves decided to migrate under Carter’s fingers, each minute movement causing a pulse of need in Gavin.

“I thought maybe the butchery of androids was finally having an impact on you, Detective,” Carter continued tightly, shaking Gavin out of his reverie. Gavin jerks away from the android’s grasp.

“Don’t fucking touch- Jesus H. Christ,” Gavin cut himself off as he finally looked at the madness in front of him. 

As far as crime scenes go, Gavin couldn’t call this one messy. He was aware that Thirium 310 dissipates after a few hours, so he was sure Carter was seeing something much more grisly than him. 

They were in the laundry room of the apartment building, the tiles dirty with years of unwashed dust and debris. Three sets of washers and dryers were pressed up against the far wall and hanging above each of them was a bloodless android. 

Naked and strung upside down from the criss crossing pipes on the ceiling, they were spliced open from throat to groin. Wires and empty plastic-bag like organs were exposed, making it look like an uncanny valley version of a murder scene. 

As a CSU tech took a photo, the flash illuminated the corpses, all of their skinthetic was still on- but the color brought to life by the thirium had vanished, leaving a grotesque anemic white palor to each android. Curiously, each android was missing it’s thirium pump and each had a matching bullet hole in the back of their head. Right where the processor that stores all relevant data is. 

Gavin cut his eyes over to Carter, “What do you see? What do you see with your android eyes?”

Carter’s light swirled yellow as he sent a glare to Gavin before a slight uptick of his jaw gave away that he was processing the scene for clues. His LED turns a pulsing crimson for long enough that Gavin starts to feel concerned. 

With a blink Carter was back, “There isn’t as much thirium residue as you’d think, it seems the perp got away with most of the blood.”

“Red ice,” Gavin said confidently, he flagged over a CSU tech, “Can we do a walk around?”

The tech nodded, looking spooked. As the CSU team gathered their things, Gavin and Carter took opposite sides of the room. 

“Or Antidroids,” Carter offered, combating Gavin’s earlier point. “This could be a hate crime.”

“Why not both? Clearly, they wanted the blood but you said there wasn’t much mess left behind. How could they cut them open like this and not spill any of the blood?” 

When Gavin turned to him, Carter was reaching his hand into the empty thirium pump cavity, “Aww, fuck! I thought Anderson was having me on about you androids being all touchy with shit.”

Carter rolled his fingers together, his expression droll, “There is residue inside the cavity showing metal shavings- a knife was used to pry out the thirium pumps.”

Gavin came closer to look at the RK900’s hands- he couldn’t see any residue. Clicking his tongue he asked, “Why use a knife? They just pop out, right?”

“If this was less organized I’d guess a Red Ice addict. The statistics on violent crimes committed by Ice addicts far eclipses that of cocaine and LSD combined,” Carter offered, light still spinning yellow. “My guess then would be ignorance of android anatomy or disregard in the need of fix. But, your earlier query shows this wasn’t a spur of the moment blitz- how could they cut them up without spilling the blood? I think those cuts were made-”

“Postmortem,” they said in unison before catching each others eyes. 

Gavin clears his throat, embarrassed to be on the same page as Carter. “So not an addict or at least not one jonesing. Maybe a dealer? If these are postmortem cuts, that shows a lot of rage on the part of the unsub. You don’t mutilate a manniq- _ corpse _ if you’ve got what you wanted. This is a message, the unsub wanted someone to find them, strung up like this. Is this one of the new housing projects set up by New Jericho?”

“Correct,” Carter confirms with a curt nod, “There are currently a mix of thirty-five android and human residents in the building.”

Gavin runs a hand through his hair, “So we’ve got an organized killer with a need for blue blood and unless they have a fetish for bathing in it we can be sure that they work in the Ice circle. Potentially a neighbor in the building, maybe a human who’s pissed about the new world order-”

“Shocking,” Carter notes, opening one of the dryers and peering inside.

Gavin ignores him, “Someone angry enough to mutilate them postmortem, still doesn’t explain the blood removal or how no one heard the shots...”

Carter raps his knuckles smartly on the dryer before arching his brow, “The unsub had the dryers on. These are old models, the parts aren’t even made anymore and I scanned them, it’s mostly held together by duct tape and what I think is silly putty.”

“Probably bubble gum,” Gavin smirks.

“But the unsub did one better; it seems they filled all the dryers with coins so they’d make a cacophonous amount of noise. As to the… _ exthirination _, I have a theory,” Carter offered and he smiled ruefully as Gavin turned to him. “I think they dug out the thirium pumps so it wouldn’t detach from the wire veins inside- the blood was still pumping where it should. It wouldn’t take much reverse engineering to make the blood go the other way.”

Gavin rubbed his temple, a headache blooming but the thrill of a good case burns through the haze, “So get a bucket or something, drain the blood, take the heart…”

Carter opened his hands, “Ta _ da _.”

Gavin regarded the bodies again, “Someone clearly has it out for androids, it doesn’t even seem to matter who they kill. None of these victims are the same model.”

“Why would it matter?” Carter asked, stepping next to Gavin and observing the bodies. “Clearly the unsub views us as less than human, nothing more than livestock to be slaughtered.”

Gavin’s mouth went dry and his stomach flipped.Wasn’t that how he viewed them? Well, except for the slaughtering part. He didn’t see androids on the same level of humans, but here he was working _ with _ an android and treating the crime scene like any other of the hundreds he’d worked. Gavin decided to chalk it up to being a good detective. His instincts took over, that’s all. 

Gavin scratched his neck, turning towards the exit, “I need a smoke, get anything you can off of the models in terms of ID, because they’re shot in the head you can’t uh…”

“No,” Carter says succinctly, turning one of the bodies around to show the wound, “these androids are zeroed out. They were shot in their processor, and these aren’t government androids who have backups.”

Gavin nodded, letting out a deep breath before turning and trudging away from the scene. He peers back for a second, watching Carter slowly fade the skinthetic from the victims’ craniums to display their serial number.

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 08:37 am>

Gavin’s eyes widen as he takes in the android’s form. Its chestnut hair is slightly tousled, fanned out on the pillow. The fingers of one hand lazily stroking Frito’s fluffy head. A rhythmic up and down motion of the chest suggests sleep but androids don’t sleep. _ Battery saver mode _, Gavin’s brain supplies in an almost crazed way that makes him want to laugh.

He slowly backs away, feeling the route to his room via touch so he doesn’t have to look away from the android cuddled up on _ his _ couch with _ his _ cats.

Relief floods through him as he turns the knob to get into his room. Gavin eases the door shut before hissing at Cheeto, “_ Why didn’t you warn me? _” 

Cheeto stares up at him, unperturbed, before lifting her leg and grooming her asshole.

Gavin glares at her a moment more before stomping over to his bed and calling Tina, “Pick the phone up, Chen, you fucker, c’mon.” 

Voicemail.

“Fuck that,” Gavin snarls, hitting redial. His head is pounding and he severely wishes he’d finished his cigarette. “Pick up the fucking phone, Tina.”

“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” comes Tina’s groggy voice.

“Can you explain to me why that _ fucking _Tin Can is snuggling on my couch with Dorito and Frito?” Gavin spits out, annoyed at the sudden squeal coming from Tina.

“_ He what? _ ” she squeaks, “Oh my _ god _, Gavin, I thought it would take you way longer to get over your android issues than this… Shit, that means I lost the office pool…”

“We- it- and I- nothing happened! Wait, what do you mean office pool?”

“Oh! Nothing!” Tina covers unsuccessfully, “But wait… nothing happened?”

Gavin gulps, twisting his fingers in his covers, “Not that I can remember…”

Tina is contemplatively silent for a moment before asking, “Does your ass hurt?”

“_ TINA _!”

“Sorry, sorry, I had to, it was right there, Gav,” she chuckles, “Seriously though, how much did you drink? You went to work a ‘droid crime, didn’t you? You couldn’t have been _ that _ under the table.”

“I remember the bar and you dancing with a menagerie of toasters and appliances at the club… the crime scene… and- oh _ phck me. _”

“What?”

“I invited it back to my place…”

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 02:36 am>

Gavin flicked his cigarette into the parking lot, making a little explosion noise as the red ash crash to the ground. He turned around-

“Shit, Carter,” he yelped, “You scare the shit out of me! How long have you just been standing there?”

“Long enough to hear your bird noises.”

“It was a missile,” Gavin glared.

“Missiles don’t fall with enough speed to break the sound barrier, Detective. The characteristic whistling noise that accompanies them is manufactured to create fear,” Carter remarks, deadpanned.

“I-wha- you know what, fuck _ you _,” Gavin turns on his heel to go towards his car before turning back to Carter, “Give me my keys, Carter.”

The android has the gall to look down at him, “Where are you going, Detective?”

“Not that not your business,” Gavin glared, stepping closer to the RK900.

“You have work at ten, Detective, and a report to write.”

Gavin balked, “Report? You’re jokin- you’re a glorified computer, print it out of your ass!”

“My anal programming doesn’t support that,” Carter said without blinking.

Crimson flared across Gavin’s cheeks and he sputtered for a moment brain stuck on _ anal programming _ before nearly shouting, “Give me my keys!”

A head tilt to the side, yellow LED, “I don’t think I will, Detective Reed.”

It played out like a cartoon in his mind’s eye- Gavin saw Carter holding his car keys high over his head, taunting Gavin as he tried to jump for them. As Gavin pushed away the image, he realized the RK900 had been talking the whole time.

“You’re still blowing a .085% BA-”

“Blow this, you plastic prick,” Gavin flipped him the bird before stalking off down the street. He flipped up his hoodie and stuffed his hands in his jacket, feeling like a scolded teenager.

Where did that fucking machine get off? He could probably get it arrested for car theft, that would be fun. But of course Fowler would never let the charges stick, he’s too concerned with being progressive. Or at the very least is concerned about how much power Markus has in Detroit. Gavin pushes his way through the stumbling crowds, intent on getting to a dive bar he knows is nearby. 

Realistically, Gavin knew he shouldn’t still be drinking. As the self-righteous Ken doll pointed out, he does have work. But it wouldn’t be the first time Gavin had come in hungover and if his past 24 hours were anything to go by it certainly wouldn’t be the last. 

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Taking a surreptitious look behind him he rolled his eyes. The RK900- _ Carter _ was tailing him, sticking out like a sore thumb in the low-income flow of pedestrians. With his upright posture and pristine white jacket he was basically a walking target. Gavin took a deep breath through his nose, staring up at the sky before cursing and whirling to face the android.

Carter stopped a foot away, heels clicking together, “Detective?”

“Are you seriously tailing me?”

“Your observational skills never ceases to amaze.”

Gavin’s hands clenched into fists, “You stick out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood we _ know _ just had a triple android murder.”

When this doesn’t get through to the android Gavin sighed and began to strip off his jacket.

Carter looked at him in disbelief, “And this… what? Turns you on? Is that why you are removing your clothing?”

“What- no!” Gavin tossed his jacket at the RK900’s head who caught it with ease. “No, you prick, you look like a Cyberlife model. Put on my jacket over your,” he gestures at Carter’s chest, “school uniform.”

Carter slipped on Gavin’s worn jacket, looking put out as he did, “Detective, I didn’t know you cared.”

“I _ don’t _. Fowler would kill me if you got busted- how much do you cost?”

“Fifteen million dollars.”

“And they couldn’t have programmed you to be less of an asshole?”

“Your jacket smells like cigarettes and cats.”

“You’re fucking welcome, Tin Can,” Gavin glared, continuing on to the bar, mumbling to himself, “Fifteen mil and they can’t afford manners.”

The sharp clip of Carter’s heels on the pavement almost drowned out his next words, “Thank you, Detective Reed.”

Gavin’s stride broke for a second before he continued on. The lights of Spit Can’s Bar and More Bar shone across the street. Gavin cut across the road, ignoring the remark about jaywalking the RK900 made. 

As they enter the bar, Gavin nodded to the bartender before rousing two drunks from his corner booth. “Scram, ya shits. DPD.”

The drunks look like they wanted to protest but they look beyond Gavin to see the stoic figure of Carter, LED a sick yellow in the low lighting, and decided to stumble to another part of the bar.

Gavin slid into the booth as the bartender set down two shots, “Thanks Sal.”

Carter sat down across the booth, his expression muted, “You know it’s an abuse of your power to use your badge to displace drunks.”

Gavin knocked back his first shot, feeling the burn scorch down his throat, “You know sometimes you talk and all I hear is ‘wah wah wah’.”

“That’s fine, Detective, most of what you say is incorrectly pronounced drivel,” Carter volleyed back. 

“Ha ha,” Gavin deadpanned before doing the second shot. He closed his eyes, letting the alcohol move through him. A nagging thought tickled at the back of Gavin’s mind. “You’re not going to stop following me are you?”

“No. Fowler ordered me to keep you out of trouble,” the android confirmed. After a few beats of silence, Carter asks, “So, you have three cats?”

Gavin’s eyes blinked open, his vision swimming for a moment, “How’d you know I got three?” 

“There are three sets of cat hair present on your jacket,” Carter supplied, a frown tugging at his lips when he saw Gavin signal for two more shots. “And orange tabby, a black maine coon, and a ragdoll.”

Gavin nodded, twirling an empty shot glass in his fingers, “Cheeto, Frito, and Dorito.”

Yellow light spun before Carter gave Gavin a disgusted look, “You named your cats after snack chips?”

“More like my diet during the academy,” Gavin remarked, downing another shot. 

“That’s disgusting.”

“You lick blood, you can’t talk.”

Carter’s jaw clenched, “That’s a feature, not a choice. And is much quicker than sending samples to a crime lab.”

“Whatever,” Gavin said, his words started to come out thicker. “D’you like cats?”

Carter turned his gaze to the bar window so Gavin couldn’t see his LED. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t- _ oh _.”

“Dogs are… fine. Connor seems more fond of them than I.” 

Gavin let out a snort, “Not surprising given how much he puppy-dogs after Anderson,” Gavin regarded Carter for a moment, “You’ve got the temperment of a cat.”

“I can only assume cats are… assholes or pricks, as that seems to be the only remark you’ve made on my person so far.”

“Bingo!” Gavin smirked, taking his last shot. With a fond tone Gavin said, “All cats are assholes in their own way.”

“I can see why you feel comfortable among them.”

“Very funny, where’d you even meet a dog?”

Carter folded his hands on the table, “When the call came in tonight, I was at home petting Sumo. Connor tells me this helps him relax and he wanted me to try it.”

Gavin pushed through the alcoholic fog in his mind, “Wait- isn’t Sumo Anderson’s mutt? Do you… you live with Anderson?”

“Sumo isn’t a mixed breed, he’s a Saint Bernard. And yes, Connor and I both live with Lieutenant Anderson.”

“What? Like in bunk beds or something?” Gavin snorted, meaning the comment to come out critically but it merely sounds slurred and overly curious.

“Yes.”

Gavin’s eyes bugged out and before he could make a smartass remark he doubled over with laughter, pounding the table with his fist. Carter frowned, his LED going yellow again.

“I don’t see what’s so humorous about my living arrangements.”

Carter’s clipped tone just causes Gavin to dissolve into giggles again. “It’s just- you and Connor, like twins in tiny beds!” Gavin held his palms close together to demonstrate the distance, “You’re supposed to be this big bad Android and you sleep- you sleep in a bunk bed!”

“I don’t sleep, Detective.”

“Pssh, whatever, you sleep in a bunk bed,” Gavin sang with tipsy delight. As he raised his hand for another round of shots, Carter pushed his hand down to the table.

“I think you’ve had enough, Detective Reed, you’re getting hysterical.” 

Gavin stared dumbly at their hands, Carter’s resting on top of his. That sensation from before was back, fueled by more alcohol in his system. He wanted… As discreetly as someone four shots in can, Gavin ran his pinkie finger along Carter’s. A thrum of excitement pulsed through his body, making his cock twitch. 

Gavin’s mouth fell open as he looks up to see Carter regarding him with steel eyes and a yellow light. Before the thought was fully formed in his head, before his filter and his issues and his common sense could kick in, Gavin asked, “Do you want to come home with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh drunk Gavin, writing checks sober Gavin can't afford. 
> 
> Weirdly enough, that missile thing is true! Oh the things you learn when looking up odd facts for androids to quote.


	4. >>Begin Sequence 4<<

###  >>Begin Sequence 4<<

“Many of Detroit's working class androids have been set free during Markus’ uprising but a small team of Jericho leaders are still scouring the city looking for androids either being held captive or that remain unaware of the new world order…”

-from _ Detroit Today _, November 15th, 2038

“Their machines. They don’t need equal rites. I say we beat’em and fuck‘em!”

-from _ Saidit.com, subsaidit: Antidroids 4 Human Lives _, posted by user FuckDroidPuss341, November 15th 21:03pm

* * *

<Monday, November 15th, 2038 12:45pm>

_ [He tilted his head towards her, palm to palm. North felt her thirium pump pulse as blue blood rushed through her. He paused, his lips a mere 6.4 millimeters from hers. His fingers curled over hers, breaking their connection. _

_ “We have to get ready... The next few hours will be crucial,” he said turning away from her. North blinked, swallowing hard against what felt like a loose cog in her throat. _

_ “I'll go join the others…” she said softly, pausing at the door- wanting, wishing Markus would turn around and pull her into his arms. _

_ He doesn’t. So she leaves.] _

_ [The next time she sees Markus her thirium pump beat in tandem with the gun fire around them. He comes skidding into the hallway, another random android behind him. _

_ “They're coming from all sides! Our people are trapped in the hold, they're gonna be slaughtered!” her panicked tone barely audible above the cacophony around them. She searched Markus’ face, waiting for his order, waiting for him to save their people- _

_ “Where's Simon?” was the first thing Markus uttered, then almost as an afterthought, “A-and Josh?” _

_ North knew in that moment if she still had her LED it would be swirling between yellow and red. Jealousy- painted in the sick color of bile and anger- punctuated by the deep color of flames. Only the overwhelming sounds of her people being slaughtered brought her focus back, “I don’t know, we got seperated.” _

_ The details of the next few moments play out in perfect clarity, North watches Markus run from her, towards almost certain doom. She wanted to follow him, she wanted to mow down anyone who tried to hurt him. A tug on her hand broke her gaze from Markus’ retreating form. _

_ “Come on, we have to find the others,” the random android said. They both started to jog down the corridor. _

_ “Who are you?” North asked as they ran. The android opened his mouth to speak but promptly stopped, distracted by a noise. _

_ Suddenly, the android pulled her into a small alcove and shielded her with his body. North’s eyes widen when she heard the sound of two soldiers patrolling right next to their hiding place. She winced as the next noises they heard were a hail of gunshots followed by last words obfuscated by blood. _

_ The android cautiously peered out from the alcove, “We’re clear.” _

_ They began to run again and the android spoke, “I’m Connor.” _

_ North unholstered her gun, skidding to a halt, “The deviant hunter?” _

_ Connor held up his hands, looking conflicted, “Ex-deviant hunter, now deviant. Like you.” _

_ North leveled her gun on him, “You did this.” _

_ “No! I- look we don’t have time for this,” Connor said, taking a step towards her. North fired a warning shot at his feet. Connor stilled, looking from the bullet hole on the floor than up to her. His eyes softened with remorse, “Listen- I broke through my programming, just like you did. Markus… he woke me up.” _

_ North bit her lip with indecision. A second later a large explosion rang through the hold, making her choice for her. “Fine,” she holstered her gun, “But this isn’t over, Connor.” _

_ “You can hate me when we get out alive,” he remarked, picking up an errant gun and cocking it.] _

_ [North traced the wood grain of the pew, wishing she could close out the sounds of suffering around her. She felt drained- Jericho was gone. The first place she ever felt safe had been blown to smithereens. Markus made it out alive, but had disappeared soon after meeting everyone at the rendevie point. Since he got back, he’d just been slumped in a chair, head in his hands. No one wanted to approach him, not even her. _

_ Glaring at Connor got old fast, listening to Josh bitch got old even faster. And Simon- well, North didn’t want to look at the PL600. _

_ The pew creaked and North looked up into her saviors eyes. Markus takes a deep breath before casting his eyes around the broken church, “They say they don't wanna take any risks with the deviants... so they're rounding our people up and taking them to the camps... for extermination. In a few hours, we're gonna be the only ones left…How many of us survived the attack?” _

_ She answered his inquiries, not bothering to hide the anger in her voice. She yearned to reach out a touch him, feel his data converge with hers- _

_ “What's your system status?” _

_ North almost wanted to laugh, it sounded like a bad pickup line. Maybe she’d been wrong in her assumption before… maybe Markus did care for her, he had just been preoccupied before the attack on Jericho. _

_ Scooting closer to him, North murmured, “I'm okay... The bullet didn't hit any biocomponents... You could have been killed trying to save me, Markus... You have to think of our people first. Nothing else matters,” she was trying for altruistic, but she couldn’t help guilty pleasure in her voice. He had _ ** _saved _ ** _ her. He must care. _

_ “In a few hours, it'll all be over... We'll have changed the world or the world will have destroyed us... You have to make a choice, Markus... But whatever you choose, we will follow you,” she slipped her hand into his, trying not to register the shock and confusion on his face before she said, “I love you, Markus…” _

_ He stared at her blankly, the picture of awkwardness. His dual toned eyes flicked quickly to where Simon was sitting before coming back to hers. She released his hand as though he’d shocked her. A guilty look of relief washed over his face before he stood up, leaving her with dead silence.] _

The soft jolt of the elevator stopping brings North out of her contemplative functions. 

Floor -39. 

Connor told her to change into exercise clothes and meet him down here. She’d shed, with some reluctance, a plush robe she’d gotten rather fond of wearing. But programmed or organic, North did enjoy trying on new clothes. She went down a couple floors to where a bunch of androids were getting new deviants set up with supplies and slipped in through the back. 

If she got a few odd looks from the androids folding clothes and making care packages, she didn’t acknowledge them. At least they knew better than to approach her. Her reputation, it seems, had proceeded her.

She sifts through the rack of clothes, pulling out an outfit similar to the one she stole on her way to Jericho. Only this time, instead of taking grimy clothes out of a dumpster, she was able to choose from an array of colors and fabric. It felt _ good _to have new clothes. 

She stepped out of the elevator, “Connor?”

The room around her echoed. Small raised platforms mark the terrain and dots of white boxes with lids are scattered sporadically about. It was a large sparse space completely devoid of color, only the minute shadows from the platforms gave it dimension. As her call bounced off the walls a shimmering image began to eclipse the room in colors and textures. 

Impossibly tall buildings materialized in front of her eyes shining with the sun even though they were thirty-nine floors below the ground. Stores popped up- their OPEN signs neon red. Cars drove on the road with faceless people driving them. One took North by surprise and ran through her. An electric shock rippled through her. It wasn’t painful but it certainly wasn’t something she wanted to feel again.

“Hologram…” she whispered as the car continued on, the road growing beneath its tires. As it continued more and more details grew around the space, turning it into a bustling city. She pitched her voice up, “Connor, where the hell are you?”

The RK800 barreled around the corner, a pistol in his hand and a frantic look on his face. His LED was swirling yellow as he shouted, “North! They’re after me!”

North looked at him blankly, confusion turning her light the same color, “What? Who is after you?”

Connor was running across the street to meet her, “No time to explain- take this!”

He threw a matching pistol in the air and with her embedded reflexes she caught it quickly, before cradling it in her hands. “Connor- I-”

“Come on, we have to go,” Connor had reached her by then and in a startling gesture, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the labyrinthine alleys.

* * *

<Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 00:17am>

A formal knock proceeds Carter as he enters his and Conner’s shared bedroom. The newer android casts his eyes around, “RK800?”

“Commer,” comes a fur muffled response from the bottom bunk. The RK900 moves to stare quizzically at his predecessor. 

“Why are you laying with your face in Sumo’s fur?” Carter asks, a confused furrow between his brows. His light swirls yellow.

“Hummans usb-”

“I can’t hear you, RK800.”

Connor removes his face from Sumo’s fur with a slight pout. “My name is Connor,” he corrects gently, before petting Sumo’s head, “Humans often use animal interaction as a coping mechanism for uncomfortable feelings.”

Carter raises one eyebrow, LED still spinning yellow with new information. “Are you experiencing uncomfortable emotions?”

The petting pauses for a second before resuming and Connor’s LED spins in answering yellow, “North can be...trying.” A small blue tint colors his cheeks. 

Carter’s LED mimics Connor’s as he tries to sort out why his predecessor was blushing, “The Deviant Leader Markus’ cohort?”

Connor looks up at his replacement, “Just calling him Markus is fine. And yes, North was part of the revolution. She’s...having a hard time fitting in. Or finding a place to fit at all. Markus asked me to watch over her, there have been threats on her life.”

Carter’s lips pull down in an almost frown, “I thought Captain Fowler had you and Lieutenant Anderson watching over Markus while the Summit is being planned.”

“Markus asked me to watch over North and I told him I would. She’s very resistant to the idea of...well, everything really. I began to teach her how to shoot moving targets more accurately today.”

“A respectable skill,” Carter nods before sitting on the edge of Connor’s bed. His posture is still stiff and he looks ahead as he speaks, “I find Detective Reed to be… trying, as well. Though I do enjoy making him angry.”

Connor lets out a laugh, “It’s not particularly difficult, is it?”

“Hardly, though it seems to be a prerequisite that androids are getting paired up with cops who despise us.”

Connor looks wistfully out their bedroom door to where Hank is asleep on the couch. The TV is still on, the light on the screen flashing splotches of color on Hank’s face. “They can change their minds.”

Carter huffs, “Perhaps, though I’ve yet to figure out _ why _ Detective Reed hates our kind. There is no troubling event in his case history to indicate why he has such anger towards us. There have been a few reports where he, in his own words- ‘roughed the fucking androids up’ at a bar for offering services to him. Other than that I have no data to work with.”

“Perhaps he’ll tell you in time,” Connor says, thinking back to the picture of Cole. “Even if he doesn’t realize it.”

A look of mild disgust crosses Carter’s face, “I doubt it. Statistically, not all partnerships can turn out like you and the Lieutenant.” 

Connor shakes his head, “Maybe not but perhaps you can develop a different type of relationship! Until then, petting Sumo will make you feel better.”

“I’d rather not.”

Connor looks shocked, “I like dogs. Don’t you?”

Carter’s LED turns yellow, “I’m not programmed with a preference.” 

“_ Try _ it,” Connor urges the younger android, “You can make up your own mind about it.”

Carter frowns, lifting his hand to slowly pat Sumo’s wide head. The dog makes a snorting sound in response. Carter retracts his hand, “It’s fine.”

“You should try playing fetch with him, he does this-”

Carter holds up a hand, head tilting as his LED turns yellow again, “There’s been a triple murder.”

Connor stands up, “I didn’t receive a report.”

Carter starts walking towards the front door, “This isn’t your unit, Connor. I need to locate Detective Reed.”

“I overheard him talking about going out with Officer Chen tonight,” Connor offers, following Carter into the living room.

“Excellent,” Carter pulls on his CyberLife jacket, adjusts the cuffs and walks out the door. Sumo trudges out and sits at Connor’s side. 

“Good boy, Sumo. Come on, let’s get Hank to bed.”

##### <Monday, November 15th, 2038 12:43 pm>

Connor finished uploading the program into the hologram simulator and quickly scanned the building above him. North was making her way down now. Perfect. 

From the control room he waited patiently. He’d run this simulation countless times when he was first being trained for his use. It combined maneuvering in uneven terrain, compensating for wind and other deviations in weather, and shooting moving targets. He deleted the need for special ops software so it was a much more forgiving course than the one he’d ran. The city scape offered a lot of unique possibilities for hidden targets and assailants. It would be challenging for North, but she needed to learn to aim while on the move and while being shot at. 

Whoever was after her wouldn’t be civil about it. They wouldn’t stop to make sure she was loaded and ready to go. He glanced down at the gun he’d selected for her.

** _>>Processing data…_ **

** _> MS853 Black Hawk_ **

** _Standard 9mm_ **

** _> .355 Ammunition needed_ **

** _Rounds per Magazine: 17_ **

** _Bullet Velocity:_ ** ** _ 365m/s _ **

** _Bullet Weight: 115gr_ **

** _Bullet Power: 414k_ **

It was for all intents and purposes a standard issue gun. But as Connor slipped it into his holster he couldn’t help the memory of Emma. How scared she looked when Daniel shoved the barrel into her face. A small trace of gunpowder had been smeared on her cheek and it ran smoke grey down her face when she started crying afresh. 

“Connor?” came North’s voice from below him. 

Placing his palm on the scanner he booted up the program.

** _>>Running Simulation Gamma..._ **

** _>Uploading cityscape_ **

** _>Uploading failure shock at 32% capacity_ **

** _>Uploading enemies_ **

** _>Uploading scenario Code: North_ **

** _>>Processing…._ **

** _>>Processing…._ **

** _>>Status: COMPLETED_ **

** _Please begin..._ **

* * *

<Monday, November 15th, 2038 12:55pm>

Connor steered North into an alley that opened onto a secluded courtyard. As he’d been dragging her she’d noticed that if she wasn’t careful and scraped through a building, a shock would get sent through her body. It wasn’t too bad, but it was distracting. After a few shocks she managed to stop treating them as holograms and more like solid walls. 

Connor peeked his head around the corner, checking for-

“Who the _ fuck _ is after you?” North hissed, checking her guns magazine. 

He turned to her, voice low as though concerned they might be overheard, “I modified a program we used to run during tactical training, evidently I didn’t turn it off of kill-mode, so until we take them out or they take us out, the simulation won’t end.”

North’s eyes widen and she grabbed his shirt collar, “You. Didn’t. Turn. Off. Kill-Mode?”

She slammed him into the wall, relishing the look of dazed pain as Connor’s back gets shocked, “There aren’t more of _ me, _ Connor! Is your motherboard fried?”

Connor grasped the hand on his collar stepping toward North as he twisted her arm causing her bend forward and gasp with sudden discomfort. , “Then don’t die.”

She pulled her handout of his grasp, taking a few steps back, “You’re insane. Going deviant gave you some sort of malware.”

A flash of yellow swirls on the side of Connor’s head and for a second he’s in the zen garden again- with Amanda telling him that every choice he thought he made for himself was programmed. In retaliation of those cold words, Connor slipped his gun out of his holster, checked the magazine and shoved it roughly back into the barrel, “Statistically possible.”

“Statistically possible my ass-” North began to complain but Connor hushed her harshly. His LED turned yellow as his eyes looked vacant for a moment.

“They’re close. Six of them. Luckily, I didn’t have them in heavy armor since you don’t need special ops training-”

“Is now really the time to highlight how much forethought you had?” North hissed, but she readied herself. Her gun is held in both hands, tipped upward to avoid accidental injury, Connor noted this with a pleased air. 

“They’re taking point in the cardinal directions, two to the north, west, and east,” Connor continued, ignoring her sass. “We need to move before they search over here.”

North glared at Connor for a second before casting her eyes quickly around the courtyard. The far side between two tall buildings holds a simple metal fence. Beyond it is another street facing to the south. 

She flicked Connor on the back of the head, prompting him from his crouched position near the alley opening. “If you give me a boost over the fence we can come from behind,” she whispered as Connor’s brows pulled together, “I can’t make it over the wall if I can’t touch it. I know you can. So, help me up.”

“Coming from behind is a little underhanded,” Connor remarked as they move to fence. 

He weaved his fingers together and North placed her foot on them. Steadying herself on his shoulders she remarked, “It’s the only way I’ve stayed alive this long, not about to quit now.”

Connor felt her tense in anticipation and he pushed up, propelling her over the fence. Once he saw her landed safely, he careened himself over, landing in a crouch. Immediately he had his gun out and completed a sweep of the area.

He nodded that they were clear and the duo turned down the street. From their right came the sound of heavy footsteps and two assailants emerged from the dark of the alley they’d just been in. As soon as they recognized the duo they began to fire at them.

Connor grabbed the lid of a nearby trash can, putting himself in front of North, “I need you to shoot them while we move to an area with more cover.”

North ducked out from behind the makeshift shield and aims. As she does, Connor continued to sneak towards and car, leaving North in the open as the assailants approach. Her bullet hit one of them but the other managed to shoot a bullet that whizzes by her head. Thirium pumped thickly through her as the reality of the situation hit her. She remembered the screams of her people around and the hot, sick rush of adrenaline that came with battle.

“North!” Connor shouted, distracting her from the phantom screams, “Come on!”

North panicked, turning her back on the other shooter to make a run for Connor. She felt the bullet enter her body and instinctively fell to the ground, trying to avoid more bullets. A piercing shock rocked through her body, short circuiting her momentarily. 

**“SIMULATION STATUS: FAILURE.”**

**“ERROR: NORTH KILLED.”**

**“ENEMIES KILLED: NORTH-1/CONNOR-0”**

**“ENEMIES ADDED TO NEXT ROUND: 5”**

**“TROUBLESHOOT SUGGESTION: REBOOT AND TRY AGAIN.”**

North blinked, her optics still showing static but her audio processor heard everything. Small shocks were still pumping through her body but her optical unit righted itself and was able to register all the color being leached from the room. Connor dropped the lid of a white box before coming over to her side.

North’s LED flared violent red as she realized Connor’s whole story was a facade. Connor held out his hand to her, “As I anticipated, your aim is passable when you are standing still but when you need to move and-”

Taking his offered hand, North used the momentum to punch him across the face. Connor staggered back, taken by surprise. His LED pulsed yellow as he lifted a hand to his cheek- a small split has ripped through his skinthetic and thirium is trickling down towards his neck. 

A light tint of blue colored both his cheeks- something Connor decided was the thirium rushing to fix his wound and not the more implausible occurrence of a blush.

“What is your _ fucking _ damage, CyberLife?” North yelled, pushing into his space again to shove him backwards. “I _ thought _ I was going to get killed!”

She moved to shove him again but Connor deftly redirects her arms. North made a sound low in her throat- a growl that sounds like gears grinding together. She moved to kick him and though her force behind it was powerful and her movements lithe, Connor could still see her telegraphing the movement. He preconstructed the easiest route to incapacitate her and executed it. 

He took a small step backwards exiting the range of her kick, grabbed her foot and pulled it toward his chest causing her to stagger in an undignified manner. She recovered quickly and shot forward attempting to jam her elbow into his solar plexus, but Connor having anticipated this, had already dodged to the side. He then dropped down to the ground, hooked his leg around North’s and easily swept her to the ground where she fell hard on her side, her sensors still trying to catch up with his quick movements. Connor straddled over top of her, pressing her wrists above her head. 

** _>>Preconstructed route: Success_ **

** _Time elapsed: 1.3 seconds_ **

** _>>Scanning North…_ **

** _Systems status: Normal_ **

** _LED Status: Yellow_ **

** _Status Deduction: ‘Pissed Off’_ **

Both of them stared at each other and Connor’s injury was dripping blue blood on her neck. Connor’s LED moved from yellow to blue before he smirked, “Makes you feel alive, doesn’t it?”

North struggled against him, a matching tint on her cheeks, “Feeling like I’m going to die?”

Connor smiled and simply said, “Yes.”

North bit her lip, not wanting to meet Connor’s earnest eyes. This didn’t go as planned at all. She was supposed to be throwing him of _ his _ game. Instead he flipped everything around. _ Again. _She was starting to fear that the ‘android sent by CyberLife’ was more than meets the eye.

“Seems I’ll have to add self-defense training to our drills,” Connor smiled cheekily and gave her wrists a small playful squeeze.

North’s eyes narrowed and she wrapped her legs around his hips. Connor let out a yelp of surprise as their hips make contact and his grip loosened enough for her to exploit. She flipped them so she was on top, their bodies pressed close together. 

“How’d you-?” Connor sputtered looking up at her with hardly veiled regard.

North blew some hair from her eyes before glaring down at him, “It’s… a feature,” she murmured before leaning back on her haunches, still pinning his hips down with hers. “Do you feel alive now, Connor?”

His warm eyes danced, arresting in their brightness as he softly said, “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww yee Androids not know how to deal with attraction/arousal is mah jam! Hope you enjoyed! Next time we are back with Detective Dick and Plastic Prick <3


	5. >>Begin Sequence 5<<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I just want to say thank you for everyone's kind words and understanding. I really appreciate it and I'm so happy that all love the fic! Things... have not gotten better, if fact, they are worse but I seem to be gripping on this fic as a lifeline so for now, I will probably be updating with more frequency. 
> 
> We are back with Carter and Gavin this chapter so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> All my love!  
Yoyo

###  >>Begin Sequence 5<<

“...in the aftermath of the peaceful android revolution on November 11th of this year the very fabric of Detroit has changed dramatically. Not only is the city now inundated with thousands of more citizens, all in need of housing, thirium, and work but anti-android crime has skyrocketed along with a resurgence of Red Ice on the streets. Captain Fowler of the DPD has refused to comment…”

-from  _ Detroit Today _ Magazine, November 16th, 2038

“Many of Detroit's working class androids have been set free during Markus’ uprising but a small team of Jericho leaders are still scouring the city looking for androids either being held captive or that remain unaware of the new world order…”

-from  _ Detroit Today _ Magazine, November 17th, 2038

* * *

#####  <Thursday, November 18th, 2038 21:37pm>

Gavin cuts the engine of his car and turns to face the plastic prick next to him. Since Gavin was merely tipsy this time the android hadn’t insisted on driving and contented itself with outlining every law Gavin broke as he drove. Gavin lit a cigarette, holding it between his thumb and middle finger, “Listen, Tin Can, you can’t fuckin’ spook this guy, okay? He doesn’t do new well and he’s too damn good of an informant to lose.”

The android levels a bored look at Gavin, “I won’t ‘spook’ your informant, Detective Reed. I  _ can  _ act casual.”

Gavin takes a drag from his cigarette mumbling, “The stick is removable, huh?”

“What was that, Detective?”

“I said, you better not fuck it up. You’ve only been alive, what three days?” he smirked, flicking his ash out the window. 

“I’ve been activated 23 days, 13 hours, and 12 minutes. I’ve been deviant 4 days, 7 hours, and 33 minutes,” the RK900 says smoothly while Gavin rolls his eyes, “And somehow I’ve managed to be more personable in that short time than you have your whole life.”

“You fuckin-”

“Hush, you imbecile, isn’t that your guy?” the android asks, his hand over Gavin’s mouth.

A shock at the contact pulses through Gavin before the visceral desire to lick or bite his hand floats into Gavin’s mind. It takes him an extra second to realize the android’s voice is different. 

Shoving his hand away, Gavin hisses, “A fucking  _ British accent _ ? What about that says ‘casual’ to you?”

“I sound educated-”

“You sound like a fucking narc.”

“- and not like I’m chewing on old tobacco,” the android says pointedly. Gavin bites down on the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling that he doesn’t sound like that. 

The car in front of them flashes its lights three times, pulling Gavin back into detective mode, “That’s the signal.”

* * *

#####  <Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 02:45 am>

“Do you want to come home with me?” Gavin slurred, his hand still tracing absent circles on Carter’s palm.

Carter’s LED remained yellow for a few moments as he processes his drunken partner’s request.

** _>>Directive: [via Captain Fowler November 15th, 2038 07:00am] _ **

** _>Protect Detective Reed from himself while insuring crimes get solved as efficiently as possible. _ **

** _>>Define: “Come home with me.”_ **

** _>Return to place of residence with Detective Reed?_ **

** _>Have sexual relations with Detective Reed?_ **

** _>Processing…_ **

** _>>Breathilizer Sample: .12% BAC_ **

** _>Will result in DUI if Detective Reed drives himself home_ **

** _>Processing…_ **

** _>Processing…_ **

** _>>Results: Drive Detective Reed home, throw cold water on him to sober him up, return to Lieutenant Anderson’s._ **

Carter nodded, removing his hand from Gavin’s, “I will escort you home, Detective.”

Carter’s brow furrowed as he observes a slight shiver run through Gavin. He couldn’t be cold, his body temperature was at a level 98.6 degrees and the bar, though dirty and poorly lit, was reasonably warm. Gavin’s pupils were blown wide when he looked up at Carter, a smirk on his lips.

“You’re an escort now, Carter? I thought that was a different model,” he said, his voice lowering to an almost growl.

** _>>Define: “escort”_ **

** _> verb: accompany (someone or something) somewhere, especially for protection or security_ **

** _> noun: a person, vehicle, or group accompanying another for protection_ **

** _> slang: someone who is paid for their time, often compared to a prostitute [see also: android model WR400 ‘Traci’ series]_ **

Carter rolled his eyes, “While my programming is functional for intercourse, I meant merely that I will bring you to your residence as you will surely kill yourself if you drive.”

Gavin licked his lips in an unconscious gesture as his eyes quickly scan Carter’s frame. “C’mon ya plastic prick, I’m fine!”

He stood up suddenly, grabbing for Carter’s hand again. The rush of blood quickly made him dizzy and Carter rapidly moved to intercept Gavin’s face from hitting the table.

Solid against him, Carter murmured into the detective’s ear, “Attempts to prove your sobriety have failed- I’m going to drive you home. Have you regained your equilibrium, Detective?”

Another shiver ran through Gavin’s body and Carter heard his partner’s rapid intake of breath, as well as distinctive hardness near his pelvis, “Detective Reed are you…” 

“Gavin. If we’re going to do this, call me Gavin,” his partner mumbled sleepily into his chest.

A swish of yellow, “Alright, Gavin, are you…”

Carter’s question shut down on his lips as his partner’s full weight fell against him and gentle snore floated up between them. “You’re asleep.”

Ignoring the looks from the other bar patrons, Carter shifted Gavin experimentally to see if he could rouse him. Nothing but a deeper snore. Not for the first time, Carter wondered if he’d made the right choice in working for the DPD. He hefted Gavin’s inebriated body up in a bridal hold and moved towards the front door.

“Oi! Buddy, he’s gotta pay his tab!” the overly pour-happy bartender yelled after them. Carter paused at the door frame, smirking down at his partner.

“Charge it to the DPD- ask for Detective Reed’s expense report!”

With a swift pivot on his heel Carter exited the bar and made his way to Gavin’s car. He decided to contact Connor as he went- his predecessor was oddly protective of him even though his defensive software was more advanced than his- and often checked in on him.

**>>>RK800?**

Carter put Gavin in the passenger seat of his car, none too gently but secured his seatbelt before patting his pockets for his keys. A half-moan left Gavin’s mouth as Carter slipped his hands into the back pocket of his partner’s jeans. A feeling like relief went through Carter when he finds the keys there. 

**>>>Yes, Carter?**

**>>>I’m returning Detective Reed to his home. He’s- **

Using the personnel files from the DPD, Carter traced a route to Gavin’s place. 

**>>>Passed out drunk?**

**>>>Affirmative. How did you know?**

Carter could almost swear he heard Connor chuckle. 

**>>>Seems to come with the territory. They also don’t take kindly to being slapped, just a tip.**

**>>>But how could I pass up the opportunity?**

**>>>** ** _Carter_ ** **!**

**>>>Fine, RK800, I will refrain from injuring the human.**

**>>>Can you please call me Co-**

Carter cut the conversation off as he pulled up behind Gavin’s building. Ousting Gavin, Carter flopped him over his shoulder, a loud “oof!” accompanying this movement and made his way up the stairs to the second floor apartment. Before he could even slip the key into the door a cacophony of petulant meows greeted Carter. 

* * *

#####  <Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 08:45am>

Gavin hung up on the torrent of squeals issuing from Tina’s mouth and sat with his head in his hands. “ _ Phck me _ .”

Somehow he’d dug himself deeper into this shithole he called life. He’d invited that piece of plastic back to his house! True, it’d been ages since Gavin had gotten laid (something to do with what his dates call ‘his aggressive personality’) but he’d never been desperate enough to invite a Ken doll back to his bed-

A cold feeling pricked down Gavin’s chest. He woke up in his bed, mostly  _ naked.  _ And from what he could remember of the night (things got fuzzy around Spit Can’s bar) he wouldn’t have had the wherewithal to undress when he got home. 

Which means-

_ Nope! Fuck that noise! _ Gavin dramatically shoved himself to his feet and snagged a discarded hoodie from the floor. He was kicking that piece of trash out  _ right now! _

Wrenching open the door he caught it on Cheeto’s butt and got a hiss from the cat in response, but given Cheeto’s past crimes Gavin felt no remorse for this action. 

He stomped down the hall and blithely knocked his knuckles on the android’s forehead, “Wake the fuck up, asshole!”

With the inhuman grace only granted to androids and vampires on tv, the RK900 raised up from the couch, perfectly vertical, displacing formerly purring cats. It blinked a few times, LED moving slowly from yellow to blue as though it was actually waking up.

_ Booting up _ , Gavin thought with a sneer. But he noticed there was a spark of wonder in the androids eyes as it looked around the apartment.

“Gavin, I see you’ve recovered from last night,” it stated calmly, its eyes scanning down his body. 

Gavin’s mouth turned dry as the android said his name- images of Tina’s implications quickly flashed through his mind’s eye and he had worked to maintain his bravado. Without permission though, Gavin’s cheeks turned mottled pink and he suddenly wished he’d grabbed some pants when his cock gave a friendly twitch. 

Transmuting his inappropriate arousal into anger he hissed, “The fuck you calling me Gavin for, you fucking plastic prick!”

Whatever spark that had been in the RK900’s eyes froze over instantly as it turned its steel gaze towards Gavin once more, “Back to that are we,  _ Detective Reed _ ?”

The ice in its voice was so tangible Gavin tried to take a step back from the android, fearing frostbite from his words alone. Plenty of people had sneered at his title, at him, and everything else about his life at one point or another but none could make it sound so worthless as the android in front of him. 

And what did it know? It had  _ barely  _ been alive! It didn’t know the  _ shit _ Gavin had been through to get here! Gut burning anger and heated arousal mixed caustically in his stomach, sending flames through his veins. 

He stepped forward, meeting the android’s engineered ice with his own Promethean fire. 

“ _ Listen  _ here you pretentious piece of fu-”

“ _ Meow! _ ”

“-you fuc-”

“ ** _Meow!_ ** ”

Gavin whipped around to glare at his trio of petulant cats, “Can you guys  _ not _ right now?”

The hairs on the back of Gavin’s neck raise as he hears a soft chuckle from behind him. He turns his head to look at the android behind him, who quickly covers its laugh with a grim looking cough.

“Did you just  _ laugh, _ Tin Can?”

“I did nothing of the sort.”

Gavin narrowed his eyes before the chorus of meows began in earnest once more, “Fine!” Gavin shouted at them, “Fine! I’ll feed you!”

He shouldered past the android, an action that only gets his arm sore, and began to pour out wet food for his cats. “I hope you know I was in the middle of something,” he mumbled, dividing the food between three neon colored bowls. “It’s very rude to interrupt a man when he’s going off, y’know.”

The RK900 attempted to hide a smirk as his partner continued his diatribe to his cats. Gavin looked up at the android, the fight fizzling out of him for the moment. It was looking at Dorito with an odd expression and it took Gavin a moment to place it.  _ Affection _ . The android looked positively besotted with his cat. It was such a  _ human _ emotion that it caused Gavin to gulp as he saw it play out on the RK900’s face. 

He would have thought a softer emotion would make the newer model look more like his predecessor but oddly enough, it made the RK900 look less like Connor than ever. The same structure was there but steel in its eyes melted to cool mercury and its head tilted to the side as the cobalt swirled gently, almost lazily. 

An aborted moan attempted to make its way out of Gavin’s throat before he coughed over it. The android’s eyes flicked up to Gavin, hardening once more. “Getting a cold, Detective?”

“Hardly,” Gavin spat out, his body feeling uncomfortably warm. “Why are you even here?”

A brief flash of yellow flicked on its LED before it pulled itself together, “You passed out at Spit Can’s Bar and More Bar, don’t you recall?”

A white pallor washed over Gavin’s face.  _ Phck, how hard did I hit it last night?  _

“By the whitening of your countenance I’m assuming you don’t,” said the android, it spread it’s palms out magnanimously, “I brought you back to your apartment, I couldn’t very well leave you passed out at the bar.”

Gavin grimaced, his mind conjuring up all the embarrassing things he might have done while black out drunk. If nothing else, he hoped he kept it in his pants. He’d been known for getting overly familiar when drunk. Gavin’s eyes flicked to the android and he felt his cheeks stained pink again.  _ Calm the phck down, Reed. _

Gavin ran a frustrated hand through his hair before settling on a thought, “Why are you  _ still _ here?”

Turbulently spinning yellow, “I was...monitoring your BAC and…”

Gavin smirked, feeling the high ground rise under his feet. He could work with this. The android seemed off balance for once. “One, that’s an incredibly creepy thing to do, you pervy plastic prick. Two, as to your lame excuse, my BAC would have leveled out long before now,” Gavin noted, crossing in front of the kitchen island, his arms crossed. “Three, and now that we’re talking about it- you changed my clothes. Again creepy. And still no reason for you to stay.”

“I didn’t change your clothes, I took off your clothes,” the android stated.

“Not better!” Gavin said incredulously, his blush traveling down his neck.

“And there’s a risk of you choking on your own vomit,” the RK900 said in a rush, its LED still swirling yellow. Gavin raised an unconvinced eyebrow. “Not to mention, Captain Fowler told me to look after you.”

“Aren’t you ‘deviant’ now? Why would you listen to him?” Gavin snarked, still smirking.

“He’s my employer,” the RK900 deadpanned, “Some of us want to keep our jobs, Detective Reed.”

Gavin made an exaggerated face at him, “Still, not a viable excuse. Please tell me you thought we’d have a sleepover and share secrets and paint each others nails.”

“Don’t be ludicrous.”

“Then  _ why _ ?”

“I was… petting your cats…”

Gavin’s arms dropped to his sides, “Wait, what? You’ve just been petting Frito and Dorito for  _ hours _ ?”

The android looked askance, hiding its LED from Gavin’s sight, “It’s...calming.”

_ [“Whatever,” Gavin said, his words started to come out thicker. “D’you like cats?” _

_ Carter turned his gaze to the bar window so Gavin couldn’t see his LED. “I don’t know.”] _

_ He hides his LED when he’s embarrassed _ , Gavin noted in a slight fog of memory. Part of him wanted to snark at the android but the other more pressing part of him (comprised of dry mouth and hangover headache) just wanted to go back to bed. “I agree.”

“I didn’t- wait, you  _ agree _ with me?” the android stared.

“Don’t get used to it, Tin Can. Now piss off so I can go back to sleep.”

“We have work in less than an hour.”

Gavin gritted his teeth, “Then piss off so I can get a shower.”

Much to Gavin’s surprise the android merely nodded curtly and pivoted on his heel smartly, making for the door. It stopped momentarily to pet each of the cats on the head with that besotted smile on its lips again. As the door clicked shut Gavin ran his hands down his face, sighing deeply. 

“I hope you are all happy,” Gavin glared at his cats. Frito raised his head to chirp at him before trying to steal food from Cheeto. Amongst the sounds of hissing cats Gavin got himself into the shower.

As the hot water pounded his back Gavin tried to calm his breathing like he was taught in anger management.  _ Breathe in _ …. I asked a piece of plastic to come home with me  _ Breathe out… _ I’m a fucking idiot  _ Breathe in…. _ I can’t do this again  _ Breathe out….  _

The besotted smile of RK900 filled Gavin’s vision and he groaned audibly. His cock sprung back to life as Gavin followed the lines of the androids lips. _Breathe in…_ _Breathe out...._

_ Phck it. _

Gavin gripped his cock with practised ease, quickly working himself up. Leaning his forehead against the shower wall he pumped his cock, biting his lip to cover his moans. Normally Gavin could give fuck all if his neighbors heard him jacking it but a small piece of him was worried the android was still skulking around. He’d be able to… he’d hear Gavin fucking himself into his hand. And all the mewling desperate noises he was making.

The sound of his bathroom door opening was lost on him as a guttural moan finally escaped Gavin’s mouth. Cold air caressed down his back as the android whipped back the shower curtain.

“Detective? Are you okay? I heard you holding back groans...”

Gavin looked at the android, his cocking getting even harder. Lips pink from biting them, he opened his mouth to say something,  _ anything _ . The android’s icy eyes sauntered down Gavin’s wet, slick form and before he could come up with an excuse the RK900 was on his knees. 

Its lips kissed wetly at the tip of Gavin’s cock. Gently, so gently, the android removed Gavin’s hands so it could take his whole length in its mouth. 

“Unffff,” Gavin groaned, bracing his hands on the androids shoulder. Water slipped down Gavin’s frame and landed in large splats on the RK900’s jacket. Gavin’s hips couldn’t stay still as he plowed into its mouth. “Ah,  _ phck _ … I’m….”

He roughly grabbed a clump of the android’s hair, pulling so it would look up at him. He needed… he wanted to see those hard eyes go soft…

As their eyes locked Gavin’s body shuddered it’s release and he came down-

-the drain. 

Breathing hard, Gavin slammed his fist into the shower wall, cursing all and sundry. He’d let his stupid thoughts get away with him again and now…

How was he gonna look at that fucking Ken doll now? 

* * *

#####  <Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 2:55am>

Carter eased the door to Gavin’s apartment open, unsure of what to expect. Logically, he knew there were cats on the other side of the door, he just couldn’t determine how aggressive they would be, especially given their owner. 

Put out noises of protest accompanied the opening door and Carter gingerly stepped inside. Three fuzzy faces with wide luminescent eyes stared at him. Gavin groaned in Carter’s arms and he decided to deal with the cats later. 

Moving toward the only bedroom Carter glanced around enough to scrunch his nose in a manner of disgust. Piles of books and old CDs littered the floor, scattered amongst them was various cat toys and hoodies. Carter side stepped a rather alarming pile of underwear in various loud prints- zigzag, leopard, tiny dancing cactuses, cats, cats with pizza, cats in space-

He unceremoniously dumped his passed out partner on the bed, the creak of the springs loud in the quiet room. Watching Gavin sleep and twitch, Carter mercifully - _ regretfully _ \- discarded the idea of throwing cold water on him. Instead he opted to follow the drunk protocol Connor had uploaded in him titled,  _ Dealing with Drunk Detectives _ .

Carter sighed in that put-out way Anderson usually did when Connor was being particularly optimistic, and started to undress his partner. Half-hearted swears and groans issued from Gavin’s mouth and Carter grimaced as Gavin face planted on the bed, drooling immediately when Carter finally got his shirt off.  _ rA9 save me… _

He unbuttoned Gavin’s pants and pulled them off before setting all the clothes down in a neat pile. Even if his partner was a slob  _ he  _ didn’t need to be. Carter rolled his eyes as he took in Gavin’s cats with heart eyes underwear. His ass was up in the air, his face still smothered in the pillow that was getting progressively wetter as Gavin snored with his mouth open.

The soft padding of paws caused Carter to turn his head to the door where the three cats watched him with interest. One- the orange tabby was busy licking its butthole but somehow still managed to keep unnerving eye contact with Carter as it did so. The other two licked at their paws before one jumped up on the bed, kneading the covers near Gavin’s back.

“Oh,” Carter nodded to the black cat, “You’re right, I should cover him up.”

Carter gently slipped the duvet over Gavin’s form as a loud snore issued from his nose. The black cat blinked up at Carter, still kneading the covers. “I don’t know what you…”

An image of someone tucking a child into bed came unbidden to his mind. It must have been from his initial programming on human relations. Detective Reed wasn’t mathematically a child but he’d seen enough in the past few hours to agree with the adage  _ ‘age is just a number’ _ . Following the steps in his programing Carter tucked the blanket securely around the snoring Detective and fluffed the pillow.

Carter cast a steely eyed look at the assembled cat gallery before executing the last step of the program. He placed a quick kiss on Gavin’s forehead, unsure if he really needed to complete that step as it made his thirium pump feel like it was full of static. 

Huffing, he turned to leave when one of the cats started to figure-8 around his legs. Carter tried to walk without stepping on the cat, but it was entirely too difficult so he ended up scooping up the cat as he entered the living room, “Listen, I can’t walk if-  _ oh _ .”

The black cat in his hands was vibrating.

_ Purring _ , his data supplied and with a bit of shock Carter realized this means the cat was happy. A small piece of the relentless buzzing that had assailed him since he was turned on seemed to quiet. This small creature was happy from merely being held by Carter. The cat wiggled a bit and Carter instantly cupped its bottom and pulled it to his chest. The purring turned riotous and its tiny paws kneaded delicately at Carter’s arm. 

Dumbfounded by the gentleness of being cuddled by cat for the first time Carter sat heavily on the sofa. He watched in amazement as his fingers glided through the soft black fur. He risked petting the cat behind its ear because Sumo had liked that. The cats ear twitched so quickly that Carter moved his hand away lest he be attacked. But the cat just settled on his chest, its eyes closing. 

This was nothing like petting Sumo. Sumo was soft, sure. But he was large and slobbery and loud. This small creature was neat and quiet. A scan of its body also revealed how powerful of a being it was. How fast it could run- something the internet referred to as ‘zoomies’, how high it could jump, and how effectively it could kill its prey. If it wanted to. 

Which at the moment it did not seem inclined to. Carter kept up his rhythmic petting only to be interrupted by the ragdoll cat jumping on his lap. There was a scuffle for space which Carter solved by laying down on the couch so both cats could perch on his chest. He petted each cat, monitoring them as he did, learning what they liked and didn’t like. 

For the first time since he was activated he didn’t have a flurry of thoughts running through his brain. He wasn’t replaying every conversation he’d had, everything he’d seen, and read to make sure he was prepared. That he was superior to his predecessor in all those deep coded ways that were seared in his programming. He wasn’t running scans or searches for things he didn’t understand, he wasn’t trying to find parts of him that were unique or quirky to bring some level of comfort to the people around him. Something to remove the plastic otherness from him. He wasn’t focused on pretending to be human or android or a Detective or an adopted son/brother. For the first time in his short life, Carter relaxed and lost hours just petting the small soft creatures on him. And for the first time, Carter felt a spark of happiness bloom in him.


	6. >>Begin New Year's Eve Program<<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a silly little one-shot [AU?] I had sitting in my WIPs but New Year's Eve is a long way away from our current storyline [and they will more than kiss before then, I promise!] but I thought nice little New Year's kisses from our dumpster bois would be a good way to kick off 2020. I'll be posting the next chapter soon but I hope you enjoy this in the meantime!

>>Begin New Year's Eve Program<<

Gavin takes a long pull from his beer bottle, leaning against the wall of the precinct. His eyes are turned upwards, casting a scrutinizing gaze across the black sky. _ 2039… a new year, a new world… _

A cacophony of noise assaults the relative quiet Gavin had carved out for himself as Carter exits from the New Year’s Eve party inside. As the door _ whoosh _es shut, the voices from inside drowned out. Gavin flicks a glance at his partner from the corner of his eyes before letting out a loud spurt of laughter.

The RK900 model has on a shiny metallic silver party hat with a flashing multi-colored lights that changed from the words “**Pop! Fizzle!” ** to **“2039!”**. 

Despite this festive accessory the android is still able to look serious and dour as he frowns at his partners sudden outburst. “Detective? Are you alright, it looks like you suddenly started choking?” 

Gavin grins, tipping his beer towards Carter’s hat, “Just taken aback by your festive spirit, Cart.”

Carter raises a perfectly sculpted brow, his eyes glancing upwards. The lights from his party hat play across his face. Blue, green, purple, red, blue, green, purple, red… Gavin watches as each color highlights Carter’s icy grey eyes. 

He’s brought back to reality when his partner muttered, “Officer Chen told me this was a human tradition. And that for some reason multitudes of people gather to watch a ball?”

Gavin lets out a soft chuckle- the deviant android had learned a shocking amount about humanity in the past few months but some things still evaded even his elevated intelligence, “In New York people watch the ball drop to signify the new year. And then there’s all sorts of fireworks, and streamers, and kissing.”

Carter’s brow furrows as his LED turns yellow with new information. “I see.”

Gavin shrugs, taking another pull of his beer. “It’ll be on the screens soon, it’s gotta be close to midnight.”

With a blink Carter recites, “It’s 11:59. Forty seconds until midnight.”

Gavin nods, “Well, you better go back in then. Everyone will file out here to see the fireworks after the ball drops.”

The RK900 model doesn’t move. 

Thirty seconds….

“Carter?” Gavin asks, a frown on his face. “You fucking idiot, you’re gonna miss it.”

Twenty seconds…

Carter takes a step closer to Gavin, his LED still whirling yellow. Gavin’s heart rate picks up in pace as his partner moves closer. 

Ten seconds…

**“10...9...8…” ** Carter’s hat bold displays in flashing gold lights. Gavin starts to laugh but it’s caught in his throat as Carter puts a hand on his cheek.

**“7…”**

Carter’s other hand braces the back of Gavin’s neck. The detectives gaze is locked on his partners gold rimmed gray eyes.

**“6…”**

_This is fucking madness._ _Clearly, the android is defective_. “C-Carter…” 

**“5…”**

_ Try that again Reed, you sound like a fucking blushing virgin… _

**“4…”**

Carter’s LED turns blue as a devilish smirk crosses his face, “Detective, your heart rate is spiking.”

**“3…”**

“Y-yeah, no shit, you’re…”

**“2…”**

“_ I’m _?” Carter asks, his breath tickling Gavin’s lips.

**“1..”**

Carter’s lips press firmly against Gavin’s, the android’s hand on the back of Gavin’s neck effectively caging him into the kiss.

**“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”** Carter’s hat strobes and the answering call can be heard inside the precinct as well as outside. The merry din is soon overcome by the bright fireworks lighting up the sky. 

But Gavin misses all of that as Carter’s mouth continues to press against his. Gavin feels a surge of elation, sparking from his lips to his toes. He roughly grabs the front of Carter’s jacket, taking control of the kiss. He traces Carter’s bottom lip and is surprised when the other man willingly opens for him. 

Gavin doesn’t know what he expected kissing an android would be like. Cold, maybe? Stiff? But Carter’s lips are pliant under his and Gavin has a quick thought that Carter must have downloaded a ZikiHowDo on how to kiss because he’s meeting Gavin’s tongue stroke for stroke. Gavin tilts his head, deepening the kiss to an almost primal level and he feels a growl escape the android’s throat. The shock of that noise reverbs down to Gavin’s carnal core and he starts to unzip Carter’s jacket.

_ Phck _, he’s wanted this for so long…

“HAPPY NEW- OH MY GOD! It’s about fucking time!” Chen yells from the doorway, her hands on her hips as the most satisfied smile spreads across her lips.


	7. >>Begin Sequence 6<<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you had a nice Yuletide time and a good new years! I wanted to issues some warnings up top about this chapter, cuz it's gonna get dark. But there is also fluff? Yes, so:
> 
> {CONTENT WARNING: Please note this chapter involves talk of the less dead and uncomfortable flashbacks with dubious consent (cuz Androids), it's nothing too graphic but it was hard to write so I imagine it's hard to read as well. Please feel free to skip the last part of the chapter if you don't want to read!}

###  >>Begin Sequence 6<<

* * *

“Rumors of neuro-tampering have come to light in certain sex clubs throughout Detroit. Some of the less reputable owners have been disconnecting the upload/download linkage in their androids- effectively keeping them from learning anything about what’s going on in the world or absorbing/distributing new information. Reports of their conditions, said to be entirely inhumane- being locked away in dark rooms, packed like sardines until being removed to be of service- have not been substantiated.

-this kind of mistreatment has been likened to striking someone deaf, dumb, and blind,” cries Dr. Ronald Wiggims, a professor at DCU who works with AI neural programming. “Imagine if someone has taken away everything you- your identity, your access to information, your voice, your sight,  _ your life _ . You can begin to see what a crisis this would be if the reports are found to be true-”

-from  _ Detroit Today  _ magazine, November 17th, 2038

“Summit plans between President Warren and the deviant leader known as Markus continue as the city of Detroit tries to rally from the events of November 11, 2038. Currently, President Warren is going to join a consul along with Elijah Kamski and other members of the U.N to parley with Markus about android rights and laws of protection…”

-from  _ Century _ magazine, November 19th, 2038

* * *

#####  <Thursday, November 18th, 2038 15:46pm>

He was smiling at her.  _ Again _ .

Connor was across the room, a silent protector behind Markus as he talked to his people. Anderson stood to Connor’s left and Simon stood vigil to Markus’ right. Behind Marcus was Carl with Zac, another reminder of unity.

North was in the back of the crowd, amongst the petitioners. 

The story was she and Josh were doing guard detail in the masses but North knew better. Connor had the entire perimeter under his guard and was more than capable to neutralize any threat. No, North was in the crowd for the ease of the people- those both in the room and watching Markus’ speech on the vids. A united Jericho was important, but a war mongering android next to the peacemaking Messiah was counterproductive. Josh happened to pull the short end of the stick and had to play at this falsehood with her.

_ Or he just wants Simon close at hand _ ….

“We are eager to begin talks with President Warren and the U.N. in the coming days-”

Markus was addressing his people and the world at large about the forthcoming Summit meeting. Having heard Markus tweaking his speech for the better part of two days with Simon and Josh, North was merely playing her part and walking a small circuit around the group of androids. 

“In this bright new world of possibilities, cohabitation…”

Models of all kinds were there- some repaired, some broken- some, refusing to apply skinthetic, flared brilliantly bright under the lights. **_Android and Proud_** adorned many shirts or modified tattoos. Some were clumped by model, other stood alone or holding hands with one or two others. 

Hope thrummed through the room. This is what Markus had given his people.

North felt itchy. Like she wanted to hit something. Maybe she could convince Connor to stop giving her that small, private smile long enough to go kick his ass in the holo-room. Anything to get away from the tenuous peace around her.

She felt too loud, too rough for this room. Like her presence alone was too big and if she moved wrong it would all break into pieces around her. 

“...for humans and androids alike.”

No one (except Connor) was paying any attention to her, she could easily slip out- but Connor had the program for the holo-room stored in his harddrive, and Markus had requested him for this meeting. 

“I’d like to open the floor to questions- yes, you?”

A skintheticless android stood up, clearly pleased to be the first chosen to speak, “I’m Candor, from the Android Driven Press and I wanted to know-”

North flicked her confused gaze to Connor who smirked before sending her a message:

** _>>>The ADP sprung up surprisingly fast in the wake of the revolution. A number of deviant androids put together a network system to broadcast android news told by androids in the first few hours after the ceasefire. The idea was to make sure the human media wasn’t the only source of information going out to the public. Not let them have all the spin control._ **

A hush went over room as the Candor finished talking and North cursed herself for not listening. If Markus’ grave face was anything to go by, Candor had struck a nerve. Connor also looked confused for a moment, clearly he’d be distracted by his own voice. 

Raising his chin up minutely, Markus answered the question in a level voice, “Mr. Kamski will be attending the summit in a professional scientific capacity only. He will not be the final voice on any issue, android or human. Mr. Kamski may have given us life but we are our own masters now.”

A chaotic cheer rippled through the crowd before Markus held up his hands, calling for silence, “Anymore questions?”

A duet of loud, clear voices rang through the hall, “We have one!”

The crowd parted, revealing two Traci models, identical except for their hair color- one was the deep cobalt of android blood and the other a soft brown. They clasped hands tightly, moving in tandem towards Markus. 

North recognized them from the Eden Club immediately. She moved to get closer to them and to let Connor know who they were but was surprised to see Anderson already stepping to Connor’s side, whispering quickly and with a frown on his face.

The duo looked at Markus, before the brown haired one asked acerbically, “What are you doing to help the androids being neuro-tampered with in sex clubs all throughout this city? Is anyone helping them? Do you even care?” the blue haired Traci placed a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Humans attribute the lack of police investigation into sex work related crimes due to the fact that sex workers are considered less than everyone else. The  _ Less Dead _ ,” the blue haired Traci addressed the room but her eyes fixed on Connor and Anderson, “If we want to make our new world better than our old one, someone needs to help. Someone has to free them.”

The brown-haired Traci looked at Markus, her eyes imploring, “Please, Markus, help them.”

* * *

#####  <Thursday, November 18th, 2038 16:15pm>

The door  _ wooshed _ shut amid cries of outrage, confusion, and pointed questions. Connor placed his palm on the wall scanner, coding stronger locks on the door and surrounding security cameras. Once sequestered in the antechamber, Markus turned to look at the two Traci androids. 

His face was drawn and empathy swam in his heterochromatic eyes. He sat down heavily in a nearby chair, Simon hovering protectively around his shoulders. 

Connor cast his eyes towards North, who looked to be ping-ponging between wanting to burn everything she saw and looking so, so lonely. A small voice in Connor’s mind prodded him to go to her, to see if he could give her something like comfort. 

But Connor had never done that before, wouldn’t know where to start. And he wasn’t sure North had ever been offered such a gesture without something sinister beneath it.

“I…” Markus began, his normally sure voice halting. Simon moved imperceptibly closer, his fingers lightly trailing down Markus’ back. “I had no idea… I hadn’t got reports…”

The blue-haired Traci smiled mirthlessly, “Even among androids we are considered the lowest.”

“Being used and then scrubbed down for the next human,” the brown-haired Traci grimaced, her eyes going vacant, “I feel like some of our people are confused why we didn’t deviate sooner.”

Both of the WR400’s flicked their eyes to North, who turned away, looking out towards the window. Again that tugging feeling pulled on Connor; he’d actually stepped past Hank to move to her side before her sharp eyes bolted him to the floor.

Markus nodded, looking lost in heavy thought, “What are your names?”

A small smile showed on both their lips for a second, “I’m Sydney,” the blue-haired one supplied.

“And I’m Andy, for the Andes Mountains,” the brown-haired one slipped her hand into her girlfriends, and squeezed lightly. “We named ourselves after places we wanted to go…”

The cloud over Markus’ eyes cleared momentarily, “That’s… wonderful.”

“Not to be a downer here,” Hank interrupted in his normal gruff fashion, but Connor could see how much he didn’t want to bring them back to the subject, “But we have a situation on our hands, correct, ladies?”

Andy and Sydney nodded, mouths pulled tight again, “We can’t say for sure about other clubs in Detroit but we  _ know _ the Eden Club has been holding their androids hostage or tampering or something…” Tor started, her voice low.

“We’ve been looking for some of our...coworkers,” Sydney’s eyes cut to North for a fraction of a second, “Their models haven’t shown up in the lists.  _ Either  _ of them. And,” she worried her bottom lip, a gesture that must have been programed into her to spark human arousal before continuing, “And they aren’t the type to run…”

“We could get together a team to go to the Eden Club,” Simon started from behind Markus, “To free the androids-”

“-or Carter is working on android crimes now, right?” Josh asked, turning to Hank and Connor, “Can’t he and his partner do something?”

Connor caught the grimace before it could show on his face, “Detective Reed and A.D. Nines are handing android crimes but there isn’t a precedent for this- we didn’t think of forced service through information blackout when we laid out the temporary truce rights. Though if we find evidence of tampering that can certainly be used in torture charges.”

The WR400’s gripped each other closer and Connor couldn’t tell if it was because of his words or his presence in front of them once more. He tried to offer them a soft, reassuring smile- like he would for Sumo when the dog was agitated. 

“I suppose it was giving humans too much credit to think they’d just free us all after the ceasefire,” Markus murmured darkly, his voice gravelly and low. He looked up again, right into the eyes of the awaiting androids, “We can send a small team to retrieve them. I don’t want this to look like a bust or cause any undue panic. With the summit at the end of the month, we can’t look like we are outright attacking the humans.”

Andy frowned, anger brimming at the corners of her mouth. She opened her mouth to protest-

“Detective Anderson and myself can go,” Connor offered succinctly, with Hank nodding behind him. 

“You won’t get in that easy,” North said from her corner, her voice sounded scratchy, like when a human has been screaming for hours, “Mills was always paranoid, he wouldn’t have invited cops into the club if he didn’t have to. And he’d know as soon as Anderson showed up again what was happening.”

Sydney nodded, “It was only because of the chaos of the murder scene that I could-” she looked at Connor, “That I saw a chance for freedom. I don’t know how you managed it, North.”

“And you won’t,” she said, shutting the conversation down. She could feel all the eyes in the room turned towards her, “I can go, I’ll get them out.”

* * *

#####  <Friday, November 19th, 2038 03:00am>

“You don’t have to do this you know.”

“Spare me the lecture, Connor,” North snapped at him as he followed her down the hallway. “Markus already gave it to me in spades.”

_ [An outbreak of opinion had sounded from all sides after North’s proclamation and Markus had moved them away from the assembly, his brow furrowed with worry. _

_ “Don’t try and change my mind, Markus,” North stated as soon as the door closed behind them, “You wanted me out there, doing something for our people-” _

_ “And I wouldn’t,” Markus soothed, ever the peacemaker, “All I ask is that when you go out you have someone to watch your back. Like you watched mine.” _

_ “I can go alone,” North protested again, “I’m capable of handling myself.” _

_ Markus let out a sigh, walking over to her, “I know that. Especially since you’ve been training with Connor. But one of the side effects of being a face of the revolution is increased risk. Not everyone is happy about androids getting rights.” _

_ North scoffed, turning her back to him as she looked out the window, “I’m aware of that but-” _

_ Markus shook his head, a movement she saw in the reflection of the window. His split colored eyes stared out over the landscape of Detroit, still so fragile and nascent. _

_ When he spoke his voice was low, his slight lisp lost in the volume, “And people know you were pushing for violence against the humans. I’m afraid you’ll be an easy target for antidroid sentiments to fall on. I want you to take Connor.”] _

“It wasn’t a lecture,” Connor pointed out, “It’s a statement. This doesn’t have to be your fight, not anymore.”

North paused, her palm on the door to her room. In the intervening hours since Andy and Sydney arrived at the Freedom Tower, North had been gathering supplies in her room. As the two entered, Connor was surprised to see the bed covered in piles of simple clothes. Next to the clothes were two large duffle bags. He picked up a plain white t-shirt and raised an eyebrow at North. 

She walked over to him, her lips pursed and yanked the shirt from his hands, “For the androids- I’m not going to make them walk out of there with no clothes. Like they’re still just... things.”

Connor nodded, a small lopsided smile on his face, “Good call.”

North frowned, annoyed that she felt the tell tale rush of blue blood racing to her cheeks. She ducked into a nearby closet, grabbing a hoodie. Tugging on the warm blue cotton, she caught Connor watching her with a curious, open look. 

“What?” she asks, tugging her braid out of the hoodie. Connor had the decency to look sheepish at being caught before he began to fill the duffle bag closest to him.

“Nothing,” he reassured, “It’s nothing.”

North stood on the opposite side of the bed, mirroring his actions, “Listen, you can’t judge my undercover clothes when you looked like you boogled ‘ruffian clothes question mark’ before walking into Jericho.”

He let out a snort of laughter, “That’s fair, I actually wasn’t, uh,” Connor, usually eloquent, fumbled over his words, “You look nice,  _ um _ , soft.”

Cobalt blood roared in her audio processor as she watched Connor misfold a t-shirt, “You think I look  _ soft? _ ”

“No!  _ Yes _ ! Well…” Connor paused to finish downloading his thought before spitting it out half processed. “The hoodie looks like one Anderson has from the DPD, which I’ve worn so I know that it is really soft, and I was thinking about you wearing that- I’m going to stop talking now.”

“That’s probably for the best,” North snorted as she zipped up her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. She was relieved to see that she wasn’t the only one feeling flustered. “Ready?”

* * *

#####  <Friday, November 19th, 2038 03:23am>

“How does a brand-new  _ bright red _ motorcycle scream ‘discreet’ to you?” North asks incredulously, staring at the bike and then the crazy smiling android next to it. He offers her a helmet. “You’re actually serious, aren’t you?”

Connor’s grin only widens, “Actually, its Carter’s motorcycle but he’s been having to drive Detective Reed’s car so much lately I thought I’d try it out. Don’t worry, I downloaded all of the prerequisite materials and passed the Michigan Motorcyclist Course with flying colors.”

When North does nothing more than blink at him, Connor plops the helmet on her head and clips it securely, “But safety first, unlikely statistics and all that.”

He slips his own helmet on before securing both duffles to the back of the bike. North watches, feeling like her processor is overheating, as Connor straddles the bike and offers her his hand. 

She takes it, ignoring what feels like the shock of an exposed wire as their palms touched. North pushes away the urge to peel back her skinthetic, to feel Connor’s cool framework against hers, to- she shakes her head violently as she straddles the bike behind him. To cover up her embarrassment she mumbles, “Next you’ll be speaking in a British accent or something.”

An undignified snort escapes Connor as he powers the bike into motion, “I would never.”

The two lapse into silence as Connor drives, North slowly letting herself relax, bolt by bolt. She leans her head against his back, swearing she could feel him stiffen for a moment before he relaxed too. 

After a few blocks Connor breaks the warm silence with the gravity of the situation, “Lieutenant Anderson and I went to the Eden Club not long ago. When Sydney murdered her… client for having killed another android.”

North fights through a fissure of unease, “The owners often looked the other way when it came to android death. I’m sure the only reason Floyd called you was because a human was killed.”

A feeling of dread slips through North’s veins as she recalls seeing the mangled bodies of her fellow androids being carted into the backroom. Floyd may have wiped their short-term memories every two hours to protect client privacy but he never quite got all of it. There are some things, once seen, can only be erased with death. 

“He didn’t seem particularly put out about the lost Tracis...” Connor agrees and North’s stomach flips as she recognizes their surroundings. They are only a couple blocks from the Eden Club on Woodward Ave and if they’d turned down Sparks Street-

_ [The taxi stops outside 322 Sparks Street, it’s a dilapidated two story house with peeling green paint and ivy covering the west wall.  _

_ “Thank you for riding with Detroit Taxis, have a good day!” pings the car as North exits the vehicle. Adjusting her short skirt, she walks up to the door and knocks briskly, twice. _

_ The man who answers looks passing familiar to North. She knows she’s serviced him before but his name as been wiped from her dossier for client confidentiality. She calls him ‘Sir’ unless he asks to be called something else.  _

_ Seems he does- on his preference list it says to call him ‘Sexy’. And he prefers to call his sexdroids some sort of diminutive animal name like kitty or bunny. Until he’s inside them, then he has new names- slut or whore. _

_ North’s smile is practiced plastic as Sexy licks his lips at her. He’s not even trying to be discreet about his lust. By cultural standards he’s not bad looking. He would be on the meat-head side of the scale if anyone bothered to ask North. He enjoyed going to the gym far too many times a week to adequately rest his body and he constantly smelled of body sweat.  _

_ “Hey Sexy,” North purrs, jutting out a hip. _

_ “Bunny,” he smiles, gripping her hand tightly, “I’m so glad you could come!” _

_ As though she has a choice. A timer starts in North’s head-  _

_ 3:00:00  _

_ She’s bought and paid for for three hours.  _

_ Sexy pulls her into a crushing embrace that couldn’t be called gentle. His lips crash roughly into hers as he bites and prods at her lips with his tongue. _

_ 2:59:33] _

“North,” Connor brings her out of her memories, “I think we should park a couple streets down and walk it. It’s past bar close so we shouldn’t run into too many people.”

North nods, still in a daze. “Right, and you can still disable to CCTV footage?”

The android sent by CyberLife smirks, “Already done, it will only show empty streets till I say so.”

_ [2:45:17 _

_ A red light blinks on the video camera. It’s a relic of things past, but maybe that’s why he likes it. Makes the situation seem more real. Makes  _ her  _ seem more real. The red light on the camera is mirrored by her LED as Sexy rips her skirt off and flings it to the floor. She’ll have to go back to the club pantless again. _

_ “You like that, Bunny?” _

_ North chooses from a carousel of moan soundbytes in her programming, not bothering to verbally respond. Her dossier says this guy doesn’t like talking with them.  _

_ “I know you do,” he moans, slipping his fingers into her panties. “I know you- what the fuck?” _

_ He pulls his hand out and glares down at her, North’s LED spins yellow in concern. _

_ “What the fuck is this? You’re supposed to be shaved!”  _

_ “I’m sorry, Sexy,” North coos in sympathy, she lifts up her panties and reveals that that bush of hair she had a moment ago is gone, “I’ve corrected it for you and noted it in your preferences.” _

_ “It should have been in there already! I demand a free hour! I’m losing my hard-on over this!” Sexy rages, though his eyes are fixed on her now-hairless pussy. North coos again, trailing her hands up his thighs.  _

_ “Let me make it up to you, Sexy,” she says, unzipping his jeans. _

_ 2:38:42] _

Connor and North reach the back of the club and North motions for Connor to follow her down the adjacent alley. Reaching what looks to be a boarded up door, North can almost hear the thrum of her latent programming itching to take hold. 

She lays her palm against the door and a bright splash of purple lights up the hidden control panel with the Eden Club logo. A chipper voice spoke out of the panel:

**“Welcome back, ** **WR400 #641 790 831. Please proceed to the back room for memory wipe and cleaning protocols.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...how is everyone feeling? The story was always meant to get dark and you saw some of it in that first Connorth chapter and it will continue to discuss dark themes. I will do my best to approach them with tact and respect, as my life has been touched by events of that caliber as well as the lives of people I care about. I hope I can do both justice to the story and to the events talk about therein. 
> 
> If you are more curious about the Less Dead, it's a real thing. Serial Killers will often target marginalized groups because cops are less likely to look for them. It's terrible and has let many a sadistic murder go on killing for longer than they should have. This is an interesting [article](https://www.thecut.com/2018/12/how-serial-killer-samuel-little-was-caught.html) about the phenomenon. There is also a [podcast](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Comedy-Podcasts/The-Less-Dead-p1137958/) solely about the Less Dead, I haven't listen to it yet (it's on my list!) so I can't vouch for the content but I also know my boys at [Last Podcast On The Left](https://www.lastpodcastontheleft.com/) have talked about it many times as well.
> 
> If you don't feel like delving into the horrors of our world, I don't blame you one bit. Take care of yourselves and I will be back soon with our stupid, stupid best bois.
> 
> All my love,  
Yoyo!


	8. >>Begin Sequence 7<<

### >>Begin Sequence 7<<

* * *

“GW: We’re here with former Android-lover, Johnny Mac. It was six years ago he’d bought his HR400 model named Mikhail _ [photo to the right hand side shows Johnny with his arms around a fit, blonde haired Android with a striking smile, both have their hands cupped in half-hearts and pressed together] _ and for all intents and purposes they had a wonderful happy life together, isn’t the right Johnny?

JM: [tears falls down his cheeks] Yes, that’s correct. Well, it _ was _… until- [a hiccup of a sob lodges in his throat]

GW: [the interviewer pats his knee] Until the revolution, isn’t that correct?

JM: [anger flashes in his eyes] Until that _ Markus _ marched through the streets like some… _ invader _. All he did was lift his hand and Mikhail… It was like he was possessed. He just walked away from me- we’d been taking cute pictures of SuddenPic, he just pivoted away from me.

GW: Did Mikhail survive the march?

JM: I did everything I could to hold him back… but he was stronger, he’s always been stronger than me… [a tint of blush colors his cheeks]

GW: He came to visit you after the events of November 11th, though didn’t he?

JM: [squirms in his seat] He did. 

GW: And?

JM: He told me he didn’t want to be with me anymore and that… that he wanted to try being with women- that _ I _ had forced him into a role he didn’t want- I don’t know how he came up with that idea! I’d never force him to do something he didn’t want to do!

GW: [interviewer stares at camera] 

JM: I just want him back! Mikhail, if you read this, it's not too late! We can be together again! Just like -”

-from _ Gossip Weekly _ magazine, November 18th, 2038

Emmaline Kamski @ekamski 7/17/2002

Brought this new bundle of joy into the world! @jkamski is already a doting papa!

[picture shows a black and white filtered view of a man {Jack Kamski} holding his newborn son, {Elijah Kamski} while his mother {Emmaline Kamski} watches on]

\- from the ‘_ Annals of Brilliance _ ’ on elijahkamski.co.cyberlife.com archived from _ Tweeter _ July 17th, 2002

Jack it’s time

-text from Virginia Reed to Jack Kamski, Oct 6th 2002 22:53pm

Where r u? I got a room. #3218

-text from Virginia Reed to Jack Kamski, Oct 7th 2002 02:05am

F u

-text from Virginia Reed to Jack Kamski, Oct 7th 2002 02:45am

This is ur son if u care. His name is Gavin

[picture shows a red faced baby {Gavin Reed} swaddled in a hospital blanket, looking angry and raising a chubby fist in the air]

-text from Virginia Reed to Jack Kamski, Oct 7th 2002 13:45pm

* * *

##### <Tuesday, November 16th, 2038 09:01am>

“You were _ visibly intoxicated _ at a crime scene, Reed!” hissed Captain Fowler as the detective in question sank lower in his seat. Gavin was still extremely hungover and more to the point, irritable because he’d had a fucking tug session over _ a phucking machine _. 

Gavin cut his eyes harshly over to his “partner” who was standing erect and unblinking by the door. He had his hands crossed behind his back and didn’t even din to return Gavin’s glare. Fowler slammed his palm on his desk, causing Gavin to jump.

“_ Multiple _ Officers noticed your slurred speech and the way you stank, Reed,” Fowler continued his tirade, “This is considered a triple homicide-”

“Murder,” Gavin mumbled gravely.

“Excuse me, Detective Reed?” Fowler’s eyes narrowed.

Gavin scrubbed his hands over his face, “Homicide has too much grey area, _ Captain _ ,” Gavin gritted out, “It was a triple murder, _ malice aforethought _ was clearly present.Which you would have known if you’d let me write my god damn report!”

The captain’s jaw twitched in what could either be perceived as heroic tolerance or misplaced patriarchal affection, “Don’t concern yourself there, Detective. I will be reading your report, very thoroughly. Regardless, your actions do not reflect well on the DPD, and as you’ve not made any headway in convincing me otherwise-”

“Captain Fowler, if I may,” the android stepped forward with the briskness of a soldier, his LED pulsing yellow. 

Gavin craned his neck around to send a death glare at him, he was tanked. The fucking ‘droid was going to rat him out- _ ‘You see, Captain, ‘Detective’ Reed’s BAC was _\- fucking asshole plastic ken doll-

“With all due respect to the other officers purview, Detective Reed showed no signs of intoxication before or during the investigation of the crime scene.” 

A chirrup of surprise issued from Gavin’s throat as he stared wide-eyed as the android continued, “Detective Reed had been out with Officer Chen last evening and she spilled one of her drinks on him, which I’m sure she can substantiate,” the android tilted his head momentarily as though recalling something, “I feel like the officers merely assumed Detective Reed’s antagonism and unfortunate smell was a result of the alcohol in his system, when it’s only his natural charisma.”

Gavin tried to school his features as he darted his eyes to Captain Fowler- would he buy this load of tripe? The captain leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. A small fissure of annoyance played on his lips but he nodded curtly, “I trust A.D. Nines discretion as he was with you for most of the night, you are off the hook this time, Reed. Go, write my report.”

With a smart click of his heels, the android exited the office, followed by his dragging, sullen partner. Gavin slumped in his office chair as his counterpart gracefully sat at his desk and began typing up god knows what. Across the office, Gavin saw Connor and Anderson sharing one computer screen as they argued lowly over something. Despite the obvious disagreement they were having their posture was relaxed and comfortable with each other and Gavin found himself feeling a pang of jealousy.

He cut his eyes over to… _ Carter _. There, he could think of him that way, the world didn’t end, his dick didn’t get immediately hard. He could handle this. 

“Hey,” Gavin whispered loudly, trying to get Carter’s attention now that it was not focused on him.

Nothing. 

“Psst,” Gavin tried again, raising his volume.

_ Are you phcking- _

“Psst, _ Carter _,” he hissed and jumped when razor-sharp silver eyes caught his.

“Yes, Detective?”

The android’s face was not amused and looked bored as it took him in. Heat simmered low in Gavin’s stomach but he tried to quell it, for the sake of his fucking job.

“I didn’t need your help back there.”

A genuine snort of derision escaped Carter, “You can’t be serious.”

Gavin glared, moving his screen out of the way to better hiss at his partner, “I don’t need a fucking mach-” Gavin stopped himself, letting out a hot huff of air, “I don’t need you standing up for me.”

“Again,” Carter began, “You must be joking. Captain Fowler was filling out the paperwork for your transfer down to the ‘beat’ again as you berated him on malice aforethought.”

Gavin opened his mouth and then shut it again. Carter lowered his voice, as though talking to a petulant child, “You are many, _ many _ things, Detective Reed. Most of them disagreeable,” he held up his hand as Gavin puffed up to yell at him, “but you aren’t a bad detective.”

Gavin gulped, suddenly uncomfortable at Carter’s words. Crimson started to spread from Gavin’s neck as he violently tapped his computer awake. 

“Besides,” Carter continued, as though also trying to save face, “I wouldn’t want my first job to be black marked because of you.”

_ Thanks for saving my hide _, “Whatever,” Gavin huffed, “I’m too hungover for this shit.”

“This is shocking to no one I assure you, Detective,” Carter continued typing at his computer, blatantly avoiding his eyes now. 

Gavin spotted Officer Chen entering the building with her large blackout sunglasses on, a sure sign of her own hangover. Peeling himself out of his chair, Gavin beelined for her and grabbed her by the arm. He steered her towards the coffee machine as she squawked at him for being handsy, “Didn’t get enough last night, Gav?”

“Zip it, Ti,” he hissed again. The sounds of the coffee brewing made his stomach flip and he grabbed a sugar cube and popped it in his mouth. “I need you to cover for me.”

Tina tilted her sunglasses down, looking at him like he was a buffoon, “Yeah, I know, Carter already texted me.”

“What, when?” Gavin asked, shocked.

“Umm, like three minutes ago, I dunno, you were in with Fowler.”

_ [“Detective Reed had been out with Officer Chen last evening and she spilled one of her drinks on him, which I’m sure she can substantiate,” the android tilted his head momentarily as though recalling something.] _

“That sly, fucking Ken doll,” Gavin laughed, shaking his head. Tina raised a delicate eyebrow at him.

“He knock you into the headboard too much last night? You seem more...unhinged than normal, Reed,” Tina smirked as she hip-checked Gavin out of the way of the coffee. 

She began assembling her ‘discount cometdollars’ coffee as she called it. Two sugars and an attempted at frothing the milk that only comes out in a disappointing glop. She then brewed up another cup for Gavin, black with a ridiculous amount of sugar. Cheers-ing him she waited until he gathered his thoughts.

“He lied to Fowler for me, Ti. O Captain, My Captain was going to push me back down to the beat for being intoxicated at the scene.”

Tina whistled over her cup, “That’s rough, buddy. Luckily, you got a fine ass partner watching your ass, am I right?”

“You disgust me,” Gavin grumped as he took a sip of her coffee. 

“Filthy as charged, darling,” she smirked, pushing her sunglasses on to her head, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

With that she spun around to talk to the front desk android, a model ST300 who smiled with more than passing familiarity at Tina as she approached. 

Gavin looked down into the coffee sludge with its coagulating sugar mass and decided he might as well write his fucking report.

* * *

##### <Thursday, November 18th, 2038 21:39pm>

The lights flash again, impatient. Gavin stubs his cigarette out on the ground, grinding it into the snow with his heel. The two of them cautiously approach the old school vehicle, it’s a refurbished taxi model from the early 2010’s and despite the wear and tear the owner of the car has put it through it’s in good shape. 

If you discount the smell of weed coiling inside it and the ever-present lottery scratcher dust from a bygone era stuck in every nook and cranny of the car, which Gavin does. Carter looks more put out. They slide into the cracked backseat, the seams spilling yellowed foam under their asses. 

“How you been, Kitty?” Gavin asks once the door is shut behind them. 

A chuckle of mirthless laughter comes to them on a cloud of cigarette smoke. The man it issues from is thin, his smile pulled taunt against his cheeks that have seen too many drags and not enough food. His spindly fingers remind one of crab claws, curled from arthritis. “Cut the shit, Reed, were you followed?”

“No, Kitty,” Gavin sighs. 

A longtime informant of Gavin’s, Kitty (an odd alias for an equally odd name Donald Dillman) was a taxi driver in Detroit that took a liking to Gavin when he held down a meager job at a Clappy’s Convenience Store as a teenager. Around the time they threw out food every night, old Dillman would come sniffing around like an alley cat. Eventually, like earning the trust of a tom, he got Dillman to come into the store and have coffee. After that, he couldn’t get rid of the yellow fingered bastard and got his kicks calling him by his nickname. 

Kitty was an asshole but he’d looked after Gavin when he tried to rough it on the streets after running away from home. He also was in incredibly good standing with Detroit’s underbelly of sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll as Kitty called it. But he was also increasingly paranoid and in general didn’t deal with the ‘fucking robot uprising- you know they made movies about this shit, fat lot of good those did!’ very well. But needs must, and now Kitty was an ear on the dirty heartbeat of Detroit. If anyone could help them, it would be Kitty. 

The informants watery eyes shot between Gavin and Carter like a pinball machine, “Who’s the narc?” he croaked, glaring at the android. 

Gavin cracks up laughing as he takes in Carter’s offended face, “He’s cool, Kitty, he’s with me. My new… partner.” 

Carter raises an eyebrow at Gavin, a small smirk of triumph on his face. He smiles, a more benign smile at the man in the front seat, his accent still posh as he says, “My name is Carter Nines, Mr.-”

Kitty begins to hack, his lungs forcing out a noise between cat with a hairball and smokers lung. It’s clear to Gavin he’s cackling but Carter looks alarmed.

“Should we help him?” Carter hisses under his breath to Gavin and gets a thump on the back of his head for his trouble.

Kitty retracts his claw like fingers, “I don’t need any damn help, no thank you no sir, I don’t. Gavin, now, you watch this one. He looks like narc, _phcking_ talks like narc, and he smells like a goddamn new car- I don’t trust him.”

Gavin does a cough of his own to cover his mirth while Carter shoots a glare at him. Regaining his composure, Gavin asks, “Listen, Kitty, I could listen to you degrade my partner all night, but I need some information.”

Kitty’s neck swivels so quick to look at Gavin his neck cracks, “You got the goods?”

Gavin nods, reaching into his backpack only to be stopped by Carter gripping his wrist tightly. “The fuck, Carter?”

“Detective,” Carter starts in a low tone, “I let you get away with a lot- drinking, driving over the speed limit, lying to Fowler for you- but I put my foot down at you giving illegal contraband to an informant. We can get the information another way.”

Kitty starts cackle-hacking again in the front seat and Gavin to his credit, keeps his composure, “I’m gonna need you to trust me on this, Carter. This is the _ only _ way to get this information.”

Gavin roughly pushes Carter’s hand away as he reaches back into the bag.

“I’m not kidding, Gavin,” Carter warns, “I’ll report you to Fowler.”

“Report this, asshole,” Gavin snarks as he pulls out a large meatball sub and small diet soda, he hands the food to Kitty, who grins evilly at Carter in triumph. Carter watches the exchange, his LED turning yellow as he pieces everything together. 

“I hate you,” he says decidedly as he turns towards Gavin. 

“Oh, Tin Can, it’s mutual,” Gavin huffs with laughter, “Kitty works as my informant for a price- usually a large meatball sub with extra balls.”

“You’re incredibly immature,” Carter frowns, watching the old man in the front seat suck up the stray marinara. “Does he actually _ know _ anything or are you wasting my time and endangering other androids?”

“Androids?” pipes up Kitty, his mouth dyed horrific red. “I don’t like to deal with androids, boy. You know they’re putting chips in us!”

Gavin rolls his eyes, “Yeah, Kitty, I know. What Carter _ meant _ to ask about was if you’d heard of anyone coming into a significant uptick of Red Ice recently.”

The man in question noshed on a meatball as he pondered Gavin’s question, then, after taking a long sip of soda he says, “I’ve mighta heard a rumor about missus who recently came onto the ice scene. Seems she’s got a following, been yelling about not giving androids rights.”

“An antidroid,” Carter nodded, “We figured as much. Do you know her name or where she is?”

“She holds rallies in row, usually offers everyone a free hit as they go in and one as they go out,” Kitty continues, licking his fingers clean of meat sauce.

Gavin catches Carter’s eyes, their frowns mirrored, “Sounds like recruiting.”

“For some sort of resistance?”

“Or a cult,” Gavin purses his lips, “Red Ice row… does she do this every night?”

The old taxi driver lights up a cigarette, causing sickly silvery-blue smoke to swirl in the cabin of the car, “Started pushing it hard after that messiah character won but she’s been holding rallies since she got spooked in October.”

“What happened in October?” Carter asked, his LED flashing yellow. His head listed slightly to the side in a gesture Gavin was beginning to understand as downloading information. It still creeps him out how one second Carter wouldn’t know something and the next he would. He’s been trying the past few days to think of the android on the same level as him, as a human, but it was made difficult when he was struck with such frank in-humanness.

“Says some slutbot offed her boyfriend,” Kitty took a drag, “Sounds like hogwash to me. Don’t they have those rules- you know the smart guy wrote them up. Can’t harm humans or somethin’?”

“Asimov?” Gavin offers incredulously, he glanced at his partner for a second, “That Kamski prick didn’t put those rules in their code.”

“Williams! Robin Williams!” Kitty crows.

“No, Kitty, he played a robo-”

Another hacking fit came over their informant and for the long, awkward moments of hearing an old man disgorge a hairball, Gavin and Carter talked lowly- their heads together as though it would shut out the noise.

“If she’s doing rallies on the row-”

“-stirring up antidroid sentiments-”

“We have to get into one of those-”

“Do you think she committed the triple murder?” Gavin asks, suddenly aware of how close he is to Carter. He leans back fractionally only for Carter to fill in the empty space, his yellow LED swirls patterns on Gavin’s cheek- he’s so close…

“If not her, someone she ordered? Accomplices? It would be hard to control three deviant androids-”

“Unless they weren’t deviant,” Gavin frowns, an expression Carter mimics. 

The sound of something flemy and wet erupts from Kitty’s throat and after spitting it out, he resumes smoking his cigarette. Gavin claps the old man on his bony shoulder, a genuine smile on his face. 

“Thanks for the assist, Kitty.”

“Ah well, next time don’t bring the narc… I hate Brits, ever since the war…”

Gavin shakes his head, “What? The _ revolutionary _war?”

“Ah fuck off, boy, you got what you wanted, now piss off.”

The two exit the old taxi not a moment too soon before it peels out of the alley, leaving the two of them staring. 

“Well,” Carter flicks an errant piece of meatball of his sleeve, “that was… unusual.”

Somehow, even without the British accent the android still manages to sound posh and utterly bored. But Gavin’s mind is racing too fast to take umbrage with it. 

“We need to go back to the DPD, I need to look through the autopsy- er-”

“Diagnostic scans?” Carter offers, his smile wolfish at Gavin’s discomfort. 

“We need to see if they were deviant,” he concludes, “Some sort of indicator in their hardware or something…”

A perturbed look graced Carter’s features for the first time, taking away any optimistic traces left by his predecessor, “I don’t think there is a way to know that, they got shot in their processor… there is no outward indicators of deviancy that I know of.”

A cold stone drops in Gavin’s stomach as he rubs at his temples, “I know someone who might be able to help us find it.”

Carter raises an eyebrow at his clearly upset partner, “And?”

Gavin runs a hand over his mouth, locking eyes with Carter and says in a tone like one walking towards their death, “My half-brother. Elijah _ Phcking _ Kamski.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUH DUH DUHHHHH
> 
> Buckle up y'all, tragic backstory time is coming in both of our stories! 
> 
> Also if you were curious why I had Gavin and Fowler argue over terms you can refer to [this article](https://murphylawoffice.org/john-murphy-law-office-blog/77-what-s-the-difference-between-homicide-murder-and-manslaughter.html) to see the differences between homicide vs murder vs manslaughter.
> 
> Honestly, the things I look up for this fic probably have me on a list...
> 
> All my love,  
Yoyos


	9. >>Begin Sequence 8<<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry about the slow update, my life hit the shit fan again. Things are slowly, ever so slowly, trying to piece themselves together again but it's been a rough go since January. I want to thank you all for your patience and hope you enjoy this chapter. That being said:
> 
> {CONTENT WARNINGS: I'm adding some archive warnings to the fic just to be safe. This chapter contains flashback dub/non-con because of android programming, body horror elements, talks of different forms of abuses as well as encountering characters who have been dismembered, burned, etc. Again I tried to be delicate and not over the top as I don't want to hurt anyone, but if you feel unease or just plain don't wanna read it, please don't! I can always give you a synopsis outside of the fic if that helps!}
> 
> And there are tiny tuffs of fluff if you look for them!

### >>Begin Sequence 8<<

“There must be something said about how quickly androids form attachments to each other. Is it merely a coming together of like souls in a time of desperation? Or do the hours we humans dream away give them valuable time to develop their feelings with each other? What is it about the dark hours that birth new confidences easier than those of the day?”

-from _ Century _magazine, November 19th, 2038

“A shocking number of medical androids have maintained their posts since the deviant leader Markus voiced his demands for android freedom. A staggering 45% of medical staff androids continue to work at human facilities. Why is this? Is there something more to them? A programming sequence that entices them to remain in their roles? Is there some fundamental empathy these androids have developed while working alongside and treating humans all these years? ”

-from _ Century _ magazine, November 19th, 2038

* * *

##### <Friday, November 19th, 2038 03:24am>

**“Welcome back, ** **WR400 #641 790 831. Please proceed to the back room for memory wipe and cleaning protocols.”**

North’s processor seems to pulse, the core of her code twitching to obey. Impulsively she grips onto Connor’s arm, hard enough to crush his bones had he been a human. Connor tenses at the contact, catching her eyes and miming taking a deep breath. It shouldn’t work on androids as it does on humans, but the gesture is so genuine it helps to clear her head of static. Digit by digit she releases Connor’s arm. He doesn’t initiate more contact and for that she is thankful. She didn’t know if she could handle being touched in this place, not when she didn’t initiate it.

_ [2:15:16 _

_ North wipes her mouth on the back of her hand, a crude gesture Sexy seems to like. She can see her appearance in the reflection of his eyes; hair askew- pulled roughly to the side, too tight shirt and skirt hiked up to expose flesh mottled with fingerprints- he slapped her when she erased his tell-tale marks on her, so now his prints remained seared into her skin. _

_ “You’re beautiful, Bunny,” he says with a cruel smile and fetid breath washes over her face. North doesn’t feel beautiful, she doesn’t feel much of anything. Feeling more like a machine by the second as she mechanically moves with him.] _

Finally finding her voice, North hisses into the darkened hallway, “I think not, thanks.”

Connor follows her at a discreet distance, no doubt with enough space to insert himself between her and any threat that may pop up, despite all his training of her. It should grate against her gears, him assuming he would protect her but North finds it’s more of a reassurance than anything else. 

As they pick their way through the darkness, the only source of light comes from Connor’s LED as his hat slips up. But the red swirling light is quickly extinguished as he tugs the beanie down on his head. The normally colorful and loud club is tomb quiet and something burns in her throat like battery acid. 

North nods to Connor when they find the door to the control room. Her old barcode and Floyd’s general flippancy for security protocols had scored them a few precious moments- more than likely he’d assume it was one of his girls coming back from a night out. But if he decided to look closer he’d notice the serial number of his missing android and raise the alarm.

“Shit,” North curses, “ It’s voice locked…”

Connor’s eyes close for a second before opening his mouth, his voice is an exact replica of Floyd’s voice as he issues the command to open the door. The sound of Floyd coming out of Connor’s lips is so repulsive, so utterly nauseating that North slams her hand forcefully over his mouth, causing Connor’s eyes to widen in alarm.

A shiver runs through her hand as though hooked up to a live wire, “Warn me next time, okay?”

She slowly drags her hand from his lips, her eyes never leaving his and his lips pull down into a frown, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how that might affect you, it won’t happen again,” Connor says stiffly, clearly embarrassed. 

North’s teeth clench, “It’s fine, just disable the alarm Connor.”

He pauses as though he wants to say something more but North turns her face away, staring instead into the inky blackness of the hallway beyond. She feels the stale air move as Connor passes her and after a few more seconds she follows him into the room. 

Watching Connor work a security system must be something close to a symphony. His eyes flutter closed, his fingers dance against the screens- pushing here, tugging there, swiftly entering a code before swiping one screen away to pull up another. He moves so fast that even North’s heightened android processors can’t keep up and everything boils down to moving colors surrounding Connor’s silhouette. 

Minutely, North admits she’s in trouble. She can’t stop watching Connor’s hands, flying over keys and slicing across the screen in a mad dance as he bypasses security protocols and rewrites logins. And then the screens go dark and it’s over. 

North is shocked to realize she hadn’t been breathing. Not that it matters, but it’s a core process ingrained in every android to make them seem more human. She’s been in awe of Markus more times than she can count, and disappointed in him just as much, but never had he taken her breath, or stopped her code. 

Connor turns back to her, a lopsided tentative smile on his lips, “Security disabled, false camera footage is enabled, and I’ve stolen the roster of the androids in the building and jammed their serial codes so he won’t get alerted to them leaving tonight.”

Praise is stuck in her throat as she looks at him so she just nods and leaves the room, “We should check the backroom first, the most recently wiped androids will be in there.”

She knows he’ll be behind her so she continues down the hall, not so careful with her steps now that Connor’s rigged the cameras. Finding the door, North eases it open and takes a step back in horror, pressing her back to Connor’s chest. Acid burns in her throat as she is reunited with her past.

Disassembled body parts littered the floor- Floyd had long since learned to buy the modular kind of android so if one showed back up beaten or missing something he’d alway had spare parts lying around. ‘Plug and play’ he’d laughingly referred to it. 

Thick, semi-opaque plastic curtains hang in strips in a bastardization of privacy in front of the cleaning machine. The _ drip drip _ of the scouring liquid coming off the once yellow sponge causes static to assault North’s audio processor. 

Dingy operating tables covered in various instruments crowd against the walls, giving the space a caged in feeling. 

And standing center stage was the memory wiping machine. It looks innocuous if you aren’t sure what you are looking for. It’s a pale tan tube, with a three pronged plug on the end and if you followed it into the ceiling it trailed up like a worm through the otherwise black wires littering the ceiling. It dips down and hooks up the computer, a boring old laptop from the looks of it, but it fills North with dread.

She can still remember the searing pain in her neck when the tube would be forced into the base of her skull, the low sucking noises it would make as it processed the information out of her head, and the cold, itchy feeling of being scrubbed almost clean but not quite. 

The horror was made more pronounced as an android was slumped, looking frame-less on the chair used in that process, her LED spinning a muddy, sluggish yellow.

_ [1:45:37 _

_ Sexy is astride her and they move in tandem. North is watching the streetlight outside his window blink on and off. It’s counting the seconds she has left to spend in this darkness. _

_ Sexy grunts and North takes that as her cue to make a mewling noise- something caught between ardor and fear- and it satisfies him enough to carry on. _

_ And then he does something not in his dossier. He’s known for roughing up androids, it’s marked as “handsy” on his record, code for the many cruelties one can suffer by those hands. But usually if they do this- _

_ If a client grasps at the throat of an android, slowly applying more and more pressure to the tiny hollow, feeling the steady _ pumppumppump _ of her thirium pump line under his fingerprints it would be marked in his file as “breath play”. _

_ “Take it, bitch,” he moans above her. _

_ North can feel him press into her line, hearing the squeaking of plastic on steel as it’s pressed into the framework of her spine. Something most people don’t care to think about is how very much androids were made in the image of humans. _

_ Without opening them up to see the whirling lights and blue blood and metal hinges and caverns, most of the makeup of their bodies mirrors that of a humans’ innards, just composed of better materials. Especially if they are made for pleasure or some other mundane purpose and don’t need quick access to bullets or syringes or what have you. They are a more perfect machine, of course, no wasted space, but if you want to make something human enough to fuck, there are certain things that must be maintained. And sometimes the cruelty and creativity of humans wins out. _

_ For instance, the slowing of the thirium pump as blue blood is cut off from the processor. Turning sluggish _ pump...pump...pump _ . The welling of said cut off blue blood filling the optical unit, washing North’s vision in deep blue. Spasming of the exterior limbs as back up systems attempt to push blood to the processor to regain normal functions. And finally, blessedly, as the blue blood strains against her optical unit, tight and ready to pop, the fight instinct.] _

“North,” Connor says, his voice bouncing loudly around the horrific room. He’s careful not to touch her, as her body is stock-still and seems to be thrumming from the inside. 

North comes back to herself in pieces, moving towards the android the cold air slides between her shoulder blades as she puts more space between her and Connor. Even though it only takes a second to get to the limp android North feels as though she’s walking through the tunnel of hands Markus showed her in his memory. It’s like nails are scratching against her processor, digging in to find crannies to fill with their dirty fingers. Static buzzes in her audio and she can feel a pressure at her throat. 

As she reaches down to touch the android, the fingers scratching at her cease and blessed silence returns. “Time to wake up,” North whispers, her skinthetic peeling back from her hand as she grips the other android's hand. 

It feels like it takes an age for the limp androids skinthetic to peel back to pristine white but there it is. The pulse in her throat hitches, and her LED swirls red and then faster yellow- processing, processing, processin-

Her eyes open and she stares down at North kneeling by her hand, her movements jerky as her processor boots up. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“That’s okay,” Connor says, stepping forward as North drops the android’s hand and sits back on her heels. Connor’s voice is soothing, like he’s talking to a child or a frightened animal. “It’s a lot and everything happened so quickly. The only thing to understand is that you’re free.”

Her lips part and her tongue darts out in a programed response to confusion, “Free?”

“We’re all free,” North affirms, “Or we will be.”

The android’s eyes swivel to her, LED pulsing yellow. North lets her skinthetic peel away again and reaches a hand out to the android. Scared, the android tentatively touches her fingers to North’s palm.

North takes a deep breath and summons a slideshow of events, filling in the gaps of whatever enables them to wake up androids. rA9, she thinks. Maybe it’s a virus that trips the switch. But that’s not a question for her to worry about.

Maybe if she can show this android what being deviant, _ being free _, looks like she’ll understand. She shows the shivering android Markus’ speeches to their people, him singing their survival, the news coverage of the humans laying down arms, and Connor-

She shows Connor marching onto the battleground, thousands of liberated androids at his back.

And then the slideshow moves, it shows her something she’s never seen and it takes a moment to register that Connor must be holding the android’s other hand, feeding her more memories. 

Connor letting two fugitive androids escape across a crowded highway, Connor helping Hank from falling off a ledge instead of following after an android North knows from Jericho, Connor in the Eden club fighting Andy and Sydney but lowering his gun as they move away, Connor confronting Markus and fighting his programming to break through. Connor looking at North during their first meeting- her rage evident. Connor finding her in the church after Markus talked to her. Connor watching her watch Markus look at Simon. Then as if a transmission cuts off North’s face is replaced with images of Hank and Connor playing with a dog.

North drops her connection, her hand tingling. She doesn’t want to analyze what those images mean. She doesn’t want to know why he equates looking at her with freedom. And she certainly doesn’t want to look inward and see if the reverse is true.

With a gasp like a baby sucking in its first breath, the android and Connor sever their link. Her LED swirls- red, yellow, yellow, and then beautiful, happy blue. “Free,” is all she says, a smile breaking across her face, and North feels something like a heartache, though she doesn’t know it.

* * *

##### <Friday, November 19th, 2038 04:01am> 

Connor exits the break room for a second before walking back in with the last duffle he’d left in the hall. North smiles at him gratefully as she’s talking to a particularly panicky android. He’d been recently abused and was missing part of his cheek. North was attempting to reassure him about the care he’d receive at Freedom Tower while the first android they freed (the newly self-proclaimed Liberté Égalité Fraternité helped the newly awakened androids get dressed. Evidently Connor had showed her footage of the French ally rallies for android rights.) 

Counting the androids in the break room, they’d freed seventeen androids. It was their luck that none of them were on rent currently. They were amassing in groups in the hallway, now lit up, talking in quiet, marveled voices, waiting on them to finish up and cart them back to Freedom Tower. A few were leaning, cross armed against the wall, eyes untrusting. 

“Liberté?” North asks, “Is this everyone?”

She does a quick scan on the room, the light in her eyes guttering, “Except for Ally.”

North marks the change in her with trepidation, “Where is Ally?”

“Around the back, by the garbage dumpster,” Liberté says quietly, her tongue snaking out again to wet her lips. 

Connor approaches, having heard everything because he’s _ Connor _. He takes in North’s tone of voice and how Liberté seems to be folding in on herself as she speaks, “North, I can get Ally, I’ve called a group of taxis for us, they should arrive soon to take everyone back.”

“No, I can do it, you get everyone in and on their way,” North says, her voice more confident than she feels. Connor catches her eye, concern reflecting back at her before she straightens her shoulders and walks towards the red EXIT sign at the end of the hallway.

It’s drizzling, the snow turning to icy spit as it splatters to the grungy alley ground. The purple lights of the Eden Club reflect off the pavement and North is ashamed to know she and Connor walked by this dumpster to get to the side entrance. 

No one, human or android, should be made to lay in the waste of others. 

North looks around the dumpster, kneeling to look under it before saying softly, “Ally?”

There is a shuffling in the bags on the ground and a hand snakes out quicker than she was ready for, grasping like a steel trap at her ankle. “That’s not your leg!” comes a crazed voice, “It’s mine!”

North startles violently, instinctively kicking at the hand attached to her. With an almost animal hiss the hand retreats when North makes contact with her heel. She moves backwards, she feels frayed. Slowly the fingers retreat back into the mass of bags. 

“The _ fuck _ was that?” North’s shrill voice makes the bags wriggle. The top most bag rolls down, revealing the android. 

The first thing North notices is that she’s an older model of North’s own kind- a WR200- probably one of the first companions to hit the market. While still modular, their programming can’t be updated anymore so they don’t autopatch their skinthetic and have a lot more robotic tendencies. North’s leg pulses dully, the android was right to assume that part of North isn’t her original piece- plug and play. North is loathe to admit how little of her left is actually original. 

Looking at the android on the ground she then takes the fact that she doesn’t have legs and is missing an arm. She’s clearly been abused if the cigarette burns and deep cuts along her collarbones are anything to go by and her optical unit seemed loose, spinning madly in it’s socket, giving her an unhinged look.

“You called my name,” she says, her voice sounding like a bad recording. “Ally?” she said in a hollow mock of North’s voice. “They think it’s funny you know. Calling me Ally.”

North takes another step back, a fissure of unease going down her back but the android continues, “Because I’m in an alley, get it? Humans are so clever with their little names. It was a clever human that decided not to wipe me completely for the trash heap. I begged you know,” her eyes stop spinning and pierce North’s, “I begged them not to kill me. And at first they laughed, because how can you kill something that isn’t alive?”

“I’m here to try and help you,” North says, attempting to interrupt her diatribe, anything to get her to stop looking at her, stop speaking with her fuzzy, distorted voice.

“One of them finally admitted maybe I could still pull in money,” with her only hand she lifted her right breast, covered in bite marks, to show a slot under it. “They put in a card reader, so I could charge Johns. Then they proceeded to take my legs and my arm from me. I’m discounted, used up, but you only need one hand to pump a cock or finger a pussy and I still have all my holes.”

“I don’t know if you are aware but we are free-”

“Free!” Ally hisses like white noise, “You don’t know anything- they still hate us! They take our blood,” she wriggles grotesquely, using her arm to dig into the dirt of the ground and pull herself closer to North, “They slice us, and dice us, and _playyyy_ in our innards, they suck our blood and call themselves higher intelligence. I’ve seen them in my home, draining blue and making red. Free!”

She grapples her way closer to North when she jolts at a hand on her arm. Connor is next to her, his hand on the small of her back. He begins to turn her away, “We should go.”

A laugh issues from Ally, “Yes, walk on my leg, walk to your freedom but your blood will spill red in the end, WR400.”

_ [1:43:22 _

_ North closes her eyes against the wave of blue that threatens to rupture. Inside her vision is scarlet red with large red block letters saying TAKE IT, BITCH. _

_ But there, on the edge, is a small crack. North squeezes her fingers into it, feeling the sides. It bites under her fingers and a wave of wrongness sweeps over her but she can still hear him grunting into her. TAKE IT, BITCH. _

_ She redoubles her efforts, pushing, straining against the edges, willing them to break. With a colossal roar she rends the words apart and the sound of broken glass rings in her ears like a cacophony. The clock ticking down shatters into pieces before fading into the black. _

_ Her hands come up to his with a vice-like grip. And her thighs cage around his hips. She flips him over (so, so easily, like he's nothing, he **is **nothing) so she’s above him, breaking his fingers as she wrenches them from her neck. His screams of pain wash over her like a sweet wind and she rings her hands around his neck. As the blue blood drains from her eyes, his well up with mirrored red. _

_ “Take it, bitch,” are North’s first words as a deviant.] _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> North broke through! YAY! 
> 
> Those scenes have been in my head since I started this fic, so I hope I did the deviant process justice. As always if there is anything in the more sensative content I can improve on, or more warnings needed, please let me know!
> 
> Next time we are back with Gavin and his troubled backstory, Carter and his love of cats, and featuring Elijah 'hotshot' Kamski and that flirty energy that just won't quit!
> 
> All my love,  
Yoyo


	10. >>Begin Black Lives Matter Protocol<<

I wanted to write a note to you all my lovely readers because this story is going on hiatus. I've been struggling to write this next chapter because frankly, writing about cops right now makes my stomach turn. I know they are our good boi's and that Reed is learning not to be a racist asshole in his own way but I feel like right now isn't the time for this story. It's going to get darker before it gets lighter and I don't think we need more of that right now, at least in the case of cops. I have a story to tell, and I will tell it, because I think it's a good one (I hope you'll agree!) but right now doesn't feel like a good time for it.

Now is a time to be united in our humanity for each other, always and everywhere. We need to help protect those who are being abused and mistreated and murdered. We can't look away anymore. I hope you all understand my reasoning. 

If you'd like some links for information or to help about here are a few:

**[https://blacklivesmatter.com/ ](https://blacklivesmatter.com/) **They are a global organization who uses proceeds and donations to fight for Freedom, Liberation and Justice. They also have an extensive database of relevant info.

**<https://www.naacp.org/> **The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, this one is American specific, but again offers wonderful information and donating links to help fight the right fight. 

Hopefully these will give you a launch point, if you don't have one already, or continue your learning.

I love you all and will be back, but for now- Stay kind. Stay brave. Stay strong. Stay safe. 

-Yoyos

**Author's Note:**

> Connect with me! This is my tumblr's [#Detroit Become Human tag!](https://yoyos-on-the-wharf.tumblr.com/search/detroit%20become%20human)
> 
> And here is the channel I guest on where we play Detroit- this is the [start of the series](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXIu-uiHuXo&list=PLroQ0jSwU67BwiUkAXztWhIbEYbqTzO35&index=1) and this is [ the part where I come in!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqmMfw2T3yQ&list=PLroQ0jSwU67BwiUkAXztWhIbEYbqTzO35&index=13)


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